Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run
by malenavillainess
Summary: She's been running from the powerful crime boss she left at the altar, her bio dad & SOA for too long. Time to fight. Saving herself means bringing down SAMCRO & its sexy vice prez Jax. She's too smart to fall in love with him. Jax can try to screw with her heart, but she's going to screw with his head. Winner lives. Too bad for her, someone is killing the women closest to him. AU
1. Chapter 1

4

 **Little Toy Bikers & A Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 1 Hood**

 **Note 3/26/19 What You Need To Know About Reading This Story**

 _ **I started this story and it morphed over time, which is great when it happens. This story has broadened and grown to extend to more characters than I originally intended. I use as many SOA characters because that's the whole point of fan fiction.**_

 _ **It's written a little differently from a typical short story or novel. It's written in scenes like a TV show. That's why the chapters are short. It's designed to be read in blocks with different plot points moving to the center of the story, moving off to the side and moving out of the story just like TV.**_

 _ **Each chapter is written from a characters point of view so the reader gets an added bonus of hearing what a character is thinking. This is one thing that I think works better in a written story versus a TV show or movie.**_

 _ **It will have some plot elements of the TV show as well as original ones that I hope to blend them into a seamless story.**_

 _ **Hope you enjoy this story. MV**_

 _ **I also changed the title of this chapter to improve my internal story management.**_

Late. Late. Late. She was never late. She was fifteen minutes late. Damn. Damn. Damn. Everyone would be impatiently waiting for her.

She opened the door of the house and walked inside. Instantly, she knew something was wrong. It was too quiet. No voices. No sounds of people moving around.

Automatically she reached into her cross body bag and pulled out her gun. She flipped the safety off. She didn't bother to chamber the first round. She always kept a round in the chamber.

She moved silently into the house towards the kitchen/family room. They were all there waiting for her. Dead. Before the horror of seeing the bloody bodies of four people she'd spent the last two years working with could soak in, survival mode kicked in and she went out the front door.

She began jogging the three blocks to her car. The skies opened up and by the time she got to her car she was soaked to the skin. He'd found her again and her identity was burned. Time to run again.

Part of the game was trying to terrorize her as much as possible. Killing her would never just be enough. He wanted to make her life a living hell by killing those around her before murdering her. When he got her, he wouldn't give her a neat clean bullet to the head. He would keep her alive and torture her until she died. The only thing worse than being married to an organized crime boss was leaving him at the altar.

She could spend whatever life she had left letting him toy with her and kill innocent people whose only misdeed was knowing her until he had terrorized her enough and he was ready to torture and kill her or she could take the fight to him.

Her ex-fiancé wasn't the only person who wanted her dead. If her father found her, he would kill her. If the Sons of Anarchy discovered her true identity, they would kill her.

Her plan for survival was simple; bring down SAMCRO and she could do one last final vanishing act into the safety of the federal government's witness protection program and solve her step sister Violet's murder because one of those sons-of-bitches killed her. The last man to see her alive was Jax Teller.

 **Two Months Later**

Her new identity was solid. She was confident that this time her fiancé would never find her. This time her paperwork was perfect or at least it was good enough to buy her enough time to do what she needed to do to ensure her long term survival.

She pulled the 1977 cherry red Corvette convertible off to the side of the road. She got out and adjusted the short cut-off jean shorts and tugged her hot pink lace tank over her breasts. She popped the hood and leaned over the engine. It wouldn't take long.

She heard the motorcycle coming, but she resisted the urge to look to see which bike was driving up. She'd been watching Jax Teller and based on his pattern of movements, it should be him.

The bike stopped. She turned and there he was a blonde, blue-eyed biker. Jax Teller in the flesh. He was quite a sight. She knew from Violet that he was attractive, but she hadn't counted on him being so soaked in sex appeal.

He looked at her long legs and the swell of her breasts under her tank top and gave her that Jax Teller smile that her sister had warned her about.

"Need some help, darlin'?"

He had stopped to help her just as she knew he would. No man can ignore the sight of a classic red Corvette and a woman in shorts bending over.


	2. Chapter 2

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 2 Meet or Meat**

Scarlett wasn't used to dressing so men would notice her. Being on the run meant keeping a low profile. Now, she wanted people to look at her and notice.

She was tall with large breasts, shoulder length ask blonde hair and green eyes. Men had been checking her out since she was twelve. She'd hated it, but now she needed this man's attention.

"What's your name?"

"Jax Teller."

"I think I could have an ex with that name."

He laughed flashing white teeth and that smile that used to make her sister feel weak in the knees. Violet also told her that he was a walking erection and had been with hundreds of girls.

She wasn't impressed with the number of women he'd bedded. He was probably a terrible lover. He couldn't build a relationship and didn't have to try to make sex good for the woman. He was a one and done kind of guy, so he focused on his pleasure. It was the only thing that was important to guys like him.

She got his type only too well. Guys started hitting on her since she'd grown breasts. They also seemed to think a big breasted girl was stupid. Sometimes, it was useful to let them think that.

"You can call me Scarlett. That's what friends call me."

"Are you fiery like your nick name?"

"No, I'm the cool icy blonde type who needs a lot of warming up."

"My favorite type of woman."

She smiled at him. She didn't know what the hell was wrong with her. She'd given him her real first name. No one would expect her to come to Charming let alone use her real first name. She was staking her life on it.

"I think every type of woman is your favorite."

He laughed.

"You could be right, darlin'. You need some help with your car?"

"I fixed it. Just a little loose something or other. I like to tinker under the hood of cars."

He looked at her legs and breasts again.

"You new to the area or are you just passing through?"

"I'm looking for a place to open a small cookie and coffee business. I'm looking at a couple of small towns."

"I'd be happy to show you around."

She curled her hair around her fingers and smiled at him. She made her mind blank. Men liked her best when she looked like she couldn't think beyond what color lip gloss to wear.

"I would like that. It's always easier to get to know a town with a guide."

The meeting had been easy enough. It was this next bit that was tricky—trying to keep him interested enough to spend time with her while not having sex with him. Once the chase was over, he'd be on to the next. She had to figure out how to build a relationship with him.

"Where are you staying?"

"I haven't found a hotel for the night yet. It's a little early. I was going to grab lunch and kind of get a feel for the town."

"I've got to run by TM. It's short for Teller-Morrow. I work there with my stepfather Clay Morrow. We repair cars and bikes."

At the name Clay Morrow, a wave of fear hit her. The last time she saw him, he was killing her mother. He saw her, but Violet grabbed her hand and they ran outside. Clay caught up with them before they could get in Violet's car.

Clay snatched at her, but Violet always carried pepper spray. She sprayed Clay in the eyes and nose. He immediately bent over, his eyes and nose watering from the effects. Violet shoved her in the car and they took off.

Violet told her that Clay Morrow was a man that you don't cross. She'd been a naïve eleven year-old. She'd asked her more worldly nineteen year-old sister about calling the police. Violet told her that no one would believe them. Clay had too much power and he knew too many people.

When Violet told her of her plan to go to Charming and get justice for their mother, she tried to talk her out of it. Violet thought she was safe from Clay because she hadn't seen Clay kill their mother and fifteen years had passed. She didn't think Clay would remember what she looked like.

Violet hadn't changed much during the past fifteen years unlike Scarlett who had gone through puberty, a growth spurt and teeth straightening for a large overbite. She looked nothing like her eleven year old self. She'd helped that along with a box of hair color. That had been part of her scheme to attract attention.

She thought Violet's plan was crazy and dangerous. In the end she had been right because Violet had been murdered, her body dumped just outside the city limits.


	3. Chapter 3

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 3 Killer**

She watched the blonde flirt with Jax. Slut! Whore! Bitch! It wasn't Jax's fault that he was attracted to pretty young things. All guys were, but Jax needed to understand that he would always be hers and only hers.

She didn't like hurting people, but she couldn't let Jax fall for the wrong woman.

If the blonde bitch got too close to Jax, she'd have to die just like the other woman she'd killed. It was OK to kill as long as the body got dropped outside the city limits. That was the rule, right?


	4. Chapter 4

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 4 Wake Up Call**

Scarlett didn't know who she was anymore. She had played various parts for so long; she'd lost herself. Actors can get all the awards, but the truly great performances were done by people who don't have the advantage of a script and a director.

She was on her own, trying to figure out her character and how to accomplish her goal of getting close to Jax Teller and getting the information she needed to save herself. She wasn't looking forward to the betrayal part of her plan, but it was survival.

There were moments like this when she didn't care much about saving herself. What pleasure she got from life was in knowing that every breath she drew into her lungs angered her former fiancé. He would never know any kind of happiness until he killed her.

The novelty of hotel living had worn off many years ago. It was just another night in a not so clean hotel on a too hard bed watching TV until she fell asleep.

She had to give it to Jax; when he turned on the charm, he was hard to resist. He was smart, funny and best of all, he could laugh at himself. She could see why Violet had fallen for him. As she had looked into his bright laser blue eyes, she wondered if he killed her sister. She didn't trust her judgment with men. She'd been fooled once. It would never happen again.

The goodnight kiss from Jax had been neat, sweet and quick because when it felt like it was going to move to a romantic level, she had put her hand on his chest and pulled away explaining that she needed to get some sleep.

He accepted her rejection with good humor, but she was sure that he didn't get rejected much. It was a relief that it hadn't ended in some big fight with him telling her that he bought her dinner and she owed him. Some men actually believed that.

The last time a man had tried that on her, she'd taken a twenty dollar bill out of her wallet and thrown it at his feet. She'd also told him to go fuck himself because she was _never_ going to do it.

She hated night and she hated sleeping because the dreams came and tortured her. She was running in her latest recurring nightmare. If she could just get to the house to warn them, she could save her co-workers. Of course, she was never in time.

The light from the bathroom was supposed to help her sleep better. She wasn't afraid of the dark; she was afraid of what it concealed. At one hotel, she'd turned on the light in the middle of the night to see her way to the bathroom and seen roaches. The light hadn't even made them scatter.

She fell into a restless sleep. His hands were around her throat and he was going to squeeze the life out of her. She woke up before he killed her and turned on the lights and TV. It was going to be a long night. She wouldn't sleep again until dawn.

Her cell was ringing. She grabbed it and saw that it was Jax.

"When I rode by your hotel, I noticed your light was still on."

"I had a nightmare. I get them a lot."

"Want me to come by and chase them away?"

"Yes."

A moment of weakness or brilliant strategy? She'd figure it out when he got to her room.


	5. Chapter 5

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 5 Comfort**

She tugged on a pair of black athletic pants with a wide white stripe down the outside side of each leg that matched the T-shirt she slept in. She didn't need to put on a bra. She always wore one with the exception of the one night a week when she allowed herself the freedom of going braless for the night.

Large natural breasts were a curse. She swore she must have been flat-chested in a previous life and wanted to come back with huge breasts. There were so many things she couldn't do like running. She ran only when in danger. There was just too much bounce even with a sports bra. Her breasts would end up down around her waist soon enough. She didn't need to help them get there any faster.

If Jax had called her five minutes later, she wouldn't have told him to come to her room. The nightmare freaked her out because she'd lived it.

There was a tap at her door. She opened it and discovered Jax was carrying too large paper cups.

"I got hot chocolate."

"How did you carry it on your bike?"

"I didn't. There's a twenty-four hour coffee shop around the corner."

"So sweet. Thank you," she said.

She couldn't remember the last time a man had treated her with true kindness, but for all his kindness, he was also working an angle. He was hoping this time at bat, he would score a home run. Too bad for him, he was going to get thrown out at first.

She sat cross-legged on the bed. Jax sat on the bed, a few feet from her.

She took a sip of her hot chocolate.

"Mmm. I can't remember the last time I had real hot chocolate and not the stuff you mix with water and micro," she said. She smiled with happiness.

"Tell me about your nightmare," Jax said.

"Will that help make it go away?"

"Sure. I was serious when I said I would chase away your nightmare."

Damn, he was good. So sincere and so believable. It made sense. You don't bed hundreds of women without having a pretty polished seduction technique.

"It's just your typical nightmare. Someone is chasing me and I'm trying to get away."

"Is this a recurring nightmare?"

She nodded. "I've had it for a couple of years."

"Here's what you do; you change the dream's outcome. Instead of running, stop and shoot the guy. Kill him and you'll kill the dream."

"I like that idea. Instead of being the victim, be the victor."

"The hard part is recognizing you're in a dream and then taking control of it."

"You sound like you've had some experience with recurring dreams."

"My father was killed in a motorcycle accident when I was a kid. I had this dream that I could stop him from making that fatal ride. I spent years having that same dream."

"How often?"

"At least once a month."

"You still have it?"

"No. It finally went away. I didn't know about the changing the outcome to get rid of the nightmare."

As soon as they both finished their hot chocolate, Scarlett got to her feet.

"I appreciate the hot chocolate and the nightmare advice. . ." her voice trailed off.

Jax gave her a quizzical look.

"Relax a little. I'm not going to rape you."

She laughed.

"Sorry. I just want to make sure that I don't mislead you and I want to save you some time. I know your type. Attractive, sexy and rarely if ever turned down by a woman. You are a one and done kind of guy. You are all about the chase and then it's on to the next. I'll save you some time; it won't work on me. When I told you I'm the icy blonde type, I wasn't kidding. It isn't you. I'm defective."

He got to his feet and moved a few feet closer to her.

"I'm surprised you haven't heard that there are no defective women, just inept men."

She laughed.

"I have actually heard it. I still think I'm defective."

"Are you going to be around tomorrow?"

"My hotel room or the town?"

"Either."

"I think so."

"I'll find you tomorrow."

"You are wasting your time on me."

"Life isn't only about sex. I like spending time with you."

"Guys only spend time with girls because they want to have sex with them."

He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"There is some truth to that," he said with a laugh. "Why don't we just be friends?"

"Men and women can't be friends. It always comes down to sex sooner or later. I don't want to break your heart."

"Are you sure you aren't worried about _me_ breaking _your_ heart?"

"No. I never fall in love."

"Darlin' you are in desperate need of warming up."

"Let me guess—you have the equipment for the job."


	6. Chapter 6

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 6 Watch**

She couldn't believe Jax was going to that woman's hotel room. Why wasn't he banging some crow-eaters like the rest of the guys? Crow-eaters not good enough?

What the hell was he bringing her? Coffee? Why was he bringing her coffee in the middle of the night? Was he planning on spending a long night with her so he wanted her to be awake?

She felt every cell in her body fill with rage. Any more rage and it would spill over. When that happened, someone was going to get hurt. Or killed.

Pretty blonde hair wasn't so pretty when it was caked with blood.


	7. Chapter 7

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 7 Found**

The four year old red headed boy ran into the kitchen bursting with excitement.

"Daddy, Annie said to come quick and bring your phone."

His father finished shaping the last meatball and added it to the spaghetti sauce simmering on the stove.

"Why?"

"She said it was important."

His father grabbed his phone and followed his son outside and into the woods. The little boy ran ahead of his father calling his sister's name.

"You did a good job getting dad," Annie said. She bent down and gave her little brother a hug.

"What happened?" her father asked.

He knew that something was really wrong. Annie was a smart kid with a good head on her shoulders. He'd never seen her like this. All the color had drained from her face and she seemed scared.

"We were playing hide and seek and I found a . . . woman's dead body," she said spelling the word "dead" and "body" so her little brother wouldn't know the horror she'd found in the woods.

"Where?"

"About twenty feet over there," Annie said pointing.

"Let me check and I'll be right back."

He hoped his daughter was mistaken. She was only eleven. He wanted to spare her from the uglier parts of life for a little longer.

No mistake. There was the naked body of a woman face up. So many stab wounds, but no blood. Someone must have washed her off—all except her blonde hair which was matted with blood.


	8. Chapter 8

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 8 Lottery**

When Jax saw the tall long-legged blonde bent over the open hood of a red Corvette, he thought he'd found the winner of the Jax Teller sex lottery for that day, that night or maybe both. Telling him that she thought she could have an ex with his name was easily the best line he'd ever heard from a woman.

She had great breasts packed into a pink lace tank top and a beautiful face with big deep green eyes, a slim nose and full red lips. Girls didn't get any better than this. All he could think about was having sex with her.

When she accepted his invitation to show her the town, he thought he was well on his way to bedding her. He couldn't really put his finger on where his approach went wrong. One minute everything was great and the next she was pulling away and telling him she needed sleep.

Church had been long, boring and filled with too many petty disagreements. All he could think about was Scarlett. Hot name. Telling him she was a cool blonde that needed a lot of warming up had the effect she intended; he wanted to make her burn for him.

Instead of spending the evening with the regular Friday night crow-eaters, Jax decided to go for a ride and cool off. He found himself riding by her motel. He gave in to impulse and called her when he saw her room light was still on.

She'd surprised him by accepting his invitation to chase away her nightmares. He brought hot chocolate so it wouldn't look like he was only there for sex.

Her face was bare and her hair was no longer stick straight. It was wild, waving and curling around her shoulders. Her green eyes were even more expressive without layers of mascara. She was stunningly beautiful without her make-up mask. She looked younger and more vulnerable.

Just when he was going to make his move, she'd jumped to her feet. That had been bad enough, but she'd followed it with a too accurate analysis of him and men in general.

That girl was either refreshingly honest or playing games with him on a level he'd never played on before. Maybe, it was time he upped his game.

At lunch time, Jax rode past her motel and noticed her car hadn't been moved from where it had been parked the night before. He called her and gotten voice mail.

Before heading home for a shower, he spent a few minutes drinking an ice cold Coke in the TM office while Gemma was rambling on about a dinner she wanted to have for Clay's birthday.

The color of the Coke can reminded him of Scarlett, but everything reminded him of Scarlett. She filled his brain in a way that no woman had since Tara.

Just as he was about to leave, Unser came shuffling in, excited by a piece of crime news. Just outside the city's limits, the naked body of a young blonde woman had been found. No identity. That would come down to fingerprints and dental records.

Not Scarlett. _Not Scarlett_. Jax grabbed his phone from his cut and went outside to call her.

No answer. Voice mail.

 _Not Scarlett._


	9. Chapter 9

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 9 Return**

Tara had been back in town for almost three months and Jax had ignored her. He had to have known she was back because everyone knew everyone's business in Charming.

When Kohn came after her, she'd tried using the police. She'd been met with a big blue wall of silence. Law enforcement protected its own even when that person was a physically abusive ATF agent. She shouldn't have been surprised. Cops had a statistically higher rate of domestic violence.

She felt safer in Charming, but that wasn't the real reason she was back. She wanted Jax. It was that simple. She still loved him and she wanted him back.

In her fantasies, she imagined Jax hearing she was back in town and knocking on her door. She would let him in, they would kiss and end up in bed where they would pledge eternal love and fidelity to each other.

Reality was harsh. She hadn't heard from him. She hadn't even seen him ride past her father's now her house. Every time she heard a motorcycle, she'd gone running to the front door's peephole hoping for a glimpse of him. It turned out the neighbor next door's son had a bike. She'd only run to the door a dozen times before she figured this out. So much for brains.

How could he just ignore the fact that she was back? How could she be the love of his life and now . . . nothing? It wasn't fair.

This was all her fault. She should never have left Charming. She'd chosen between the future and Jax and picked the future. Now that she wanted Jax back, maybe they didn't have a future anymore. Maybe it was too late and she no longer had a hold on his heart.

Great. She was stuck in a town she hated in a job that had no future. Well done, Tara. Great job with your life. How much fun was being a fancy neonatal surgeon coming back to an empty home night after night? Without love, there was nothing. She was _nothing_.

Meanwhile, she was knew Jax was plowing through all the available young women in town. Donna had spilled that fact when she'd run into her at the grocery store. She'd returned to her father's house crushed by Donna's confidence.

Stupid Tara, she scolded herself. Did she really think Jax Teller had gone without sex during the ten years they had been apart? This was a guy who had girls throwing themselves at him even right in front of her.

Did she really think she still had any kind of chance with him? She was smart, but there were so many girls who had better bodies and were more beautiful.

Guys rarely felt a girl's intelligence was a desirable trait because most men see better than they can think. Well, that was it. She had probably lost him forever. Her chest felt the familiar crushing weight of heartbreak.

The stubbornness that she'd used to get through medical school and all her surgical training would not let her give up that easily. No more pathetic Tara the victim. She was going to get Jax back. He loved her once and he would love her again.

He hadn't come to see her because he was waiting for her to make the first move. That explained everything. This was all her fault.

She had one card to play and she hoped she didn't have to use it. She could always bring her father's Cutlass in for servicing. She hated to make such an obvious move, but if she couldn't manage to "accidentally" meet him somehow, she'd just have to go to TM and bring the fight for his heart to him.

She pulled into the driveway of David Hale's house. He had invited her over for a BBQ. He had always been a good friend. They had even hooked up a couple of times when she and Jax were going through a rough patch.

Sleeping with Hale tonight wouldn't be the worst thing she could do and she wouldn't have to go home to that empty house. Hale was a gentleman. He would never tell. Maybe she could get some information about Jax out of Hale.


	10. Chapter 10

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 10 Wait**

Jax left messages on Scarlett's cell phone's voice mail and her motel room's voice mail. He rode by her motel. Her car didn't look like it had been moved. It was still parked in the exact same spot.

He went home and downed a beer before jumping in the shower. He couldn't shake his fear that something had happened to Scarlett.

He could easily have dismissed his fear as being irrational, but a little over two months ago, a woman he knew had been found dead. It took him a moment to remember her name—Violet and her face—a pretty brunette with gray eyes.

They had been together a couple of times and then she disappeared. He thought she had left town and not given her another thought until he heard from Unser about her body being found.

That kind of stuff seemed to happen too often these days. Some girl meets up with the wrong guy who kills her, but Violet hadn't been in the high risk hooker/stripper group. She was just a nice girl who worked as a nanny and visited the Sons' clubhouse occasionally. Murder wasn't supposed to happen to girls like her.

Since she'd died in the county, the sheriffs were investigating. They couldn't be doing much about her murder since they hadn't talked to him or anyone in SAMCRO. It could be the killer was an ex of Violet's. He couldn't recall her mentioning an ex, but everyone had an ex.

He checked his cell phone to see if Scarlett had called while he'd been in the shower. Nothing. There was probably a logical explanation.

He forced himself to think of someone other than Scarlett—Tara. She shouldn't have come back to Charming. She had always hated the town and its smallness. He could only think of one reason for her to return to Charming—him. She had decided after ten years that she wanted him back. He knew Tara too well to believe anything else.

The three years they had spent as a couple had been great most of the time and horrible some of the time. She'd made a choice to leave and he'd made it clear to her that they were done for good. He had been dead serious about that.

Over the ten years they had been apart, his heart healed and his love for her that had once burned so passionately had turned to ashes. There was nothing there anymore. He just didn't care. He hoped Tara would leave town. He didn't hate her, but he also didn't want to make a place for her in his life.

Scarlett was right when she told him that men and women can't be friends. He could see that with Tara. If he and Tara tried to be friends, she would think it meant she could get him back. It wasn't going to happen. The past was in the past. They had no future. He didn't want to hurt her, but he didn't owe her his love. He wasn't going to get back together with her just to keep from hurting her feelings. She was the one who gave up on them.

Jax left another message on Scarlett's cell's voice mail asking that she call him even if she never wanted to see him again. He added that he just wanted to make sure she was OK.

He ought to be getting drunk with his brothers and banging crow-eaters, but all he could think about was Scarlett and the naked body of a blonde woman.

He had to find out whether or not Scarlett was still alive. He was going to bang on her motel room's door until she opened it. If he got no answer . . .

He'd figure out what he was going to do if that happened.


	11. Chapter 11

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 11 Pound**

Scarlett was floating on the edge of sleep when she heard someone pounding at her door. She got out of bed grimacing in pain, checked the peephole and opened the door.

"Why can't you answer your damned phone?" Jax snapped at her angrily.

She left the door open and walked slowly to the bed and switched on the lamp on the night stand.

Jax followed her into the room and closed the door.

"What's really going on with you?" she asked.

She walked up to him. She could feel herself shaking, but she couldn't tell if all the shaking were confined to the inside or if her shaking were also on the outside. She had to sit down immediately or she was going to pass out. She took a step towards the bed.

"I thought you were dead."

She collapsed. Jax caught her, swinging her off her feet before she hit the ground. He gently laid her on the bed. Her eyes stayed closed and her body was limp.

Jax softly called her name over and over again until her eyes opened.

"I was about to call the paramedics," Jax said.

"I'm OK. Low blood sugar. Could you grab some of my money on the table and get me a couple of Cokes or Pepsis from the vending machine? There's one near the motel office. Take my room card, so I don't have to get up to let you in."

Jax returned with soft drinks, opened a Coke and handed to her. Her hand shook so much she used both hands to hold the can. She still couldn't get the can to her mouth. Jax wrapped his hand around her hands and helped her get the can to her lips. After she drank half a can, the shaking in her hands began to subside. By the time she'd finished the can, she only needed one hand to hold it.

"Did I get to the bed by myself or did you help?"

"I carried you."

He was very attractive and sexy. He was looking at her with such compassion. Scarlett reminded herself there was a reason this man had been with hundreds of women; he was a master seducer.

He opened the second can of Coke and handed it to her.

"Thanks for keeping me from hitting the floor. The last time this happened, I smacked the back of my head on the grocery store floor."

"Are you diabetic?"

"No. I just have to make sure I don't go too long without eating. I knew I was about to pass out, but I couldn't get to the bed in time. OK. Let's back up. Why were you pounding at my door? Why are you mad at me?"

"You didn't return any of my calls."

"So you just show up at my motel and pound on my door?"

She stared at him. This guy was nuts. This was how he handled it when a woman didn't return his calls. It couldn't have been the first time a woman hadn't called him back. He was pretty damned hot. Maybe it was a first and maybe trying to get close to him was just too damned dangerous. She might need to find another way into SAMCRO.

"I thought you were dead."

"Why would you think that?"

"There was a body of a blonde woman found just outside town. No identity. I couldn't reach you."

She sucked in her breath. Her body went cold with fear and her heart hammered hard in her chest. Another dead woman in less than three months. Was this killer the same one that killed Violet? Which was worse—two killers or one killer who just might be a serial killer?

At least Jax wasn't some possessive maniac. Not so far, anyway. His reaction was understandable. Her plan to get close to him was back on.

"I didn't know you called. I have a back injury from a car crash. All that driving caused the muscles in my back to spasm.

"When that happens, I have to take muscle relaxers, pain killers and sleeping pills to get the muscles to calm down. I must have been too deeply asleep to hear the phone or my cell. I wasn't intentionally avoiding you. Also, if I heard the phone, I might not remember. The sleeping pills I take cause memory loss during part of the time the med's in my system."

He was so close and it would feel good to be in his arms, but with her back pain, she wasn't even tempted. It would hurt too much.

"I'm just glad to know you aren't the woman. There was a woman that was killed a little over two months ago. I knew her a little."

"What was her name?" Scarlett asked. She was glad her brain was fogged from all the medications she'd taken, but she might be too numb. She could barely form words, but that might have been the shock at hearing there was another killing.

"Violet."

"Did they catch the killer?" She tried to make her voice sound casual, but she could hear the strain in it. She hoped that Jax wouldn't pick up on it.

"I was wondering that when I was trying to find out if you were alive."

"I need food. I'm buying if you want to come with me. I'm going to need a little help getting into and out of the car, but you can drive. If you don't want to come with me, I'll just order pizza and take another round of medication."

"I'll come with you. I've always wanted to drive a Corvette," he said with a smile.

"That's why I got it. I use it to lure men to me."

"Darlin', you don't need a car for that. You're hot enough on your own."

"Yeah, thanks," she said drily. "I just need a couple of minutes to get dressed."

"You need help dressing?"

"Yes, but I'll just have to suck it up and grit my teeth."

"Just call out if you change your mind about needing help." He flashed her that Jax Teller blowtorch grin designed to spontaneously cause a woman's panties to hit the floor.

Scarlett walked to her suitcase, grabbed some clothes and headed into the bathroom. She hated that Jax was seeing her in this condition. Weakness was dangerous, but she had no choice. She couldn't control her back.

She would check her cell later to see if he called her and left messages. If the man that killed Violet also killed the blonde woman found today, could she rule out Jax being Violet's killer?

He could just be very clever leaving messages looking for her to divert suspicion from him. Did that make sense though? He didn't know that she knew about Violet's murder. He was the one that brought it up. He also admitted that he knew Violet.

Her thinking was spinning in circles and it wasn't from the drugs she'd taken. The pain and muscle spasms were back. She was having trouble thinking of something beyond the pain. There were just so many ways this could play out. It was too early to draw conclusions about whether or not Jax killed her sister.

Dressing had been agony and taken far longer than it should have. She smeared a little reddish brown eyeshadow around her eyes, brushed on some blush and gave her lips a quick coat of a pinky nude lipstain. Her hair was on its own. It hurt too much to raise her arms to comb it. Even combed, it would look like she just woke up. The only way to tame it was to straighten it.

She carefully walked to the bed, lifted the pillow on the side of the bed she hadn't slept in and picked up the black 9 mil underneath.

"Is that loaded?" Jax asked with a raised eyebrow.

"A gun without a clip and a round in the chamber is just a paperweight. Of course, it's loaded. The safety's on though."

"Why don't you let me hold that for you? You aren't moving well enough to use it effectively anyway."

Scarlett looked at him and thought about that.

"You do have a point. You have to give it back to me when we get back to my room."

"Deal."

She handed him her gun and he slid it inside an inside pocket of his cut.

She grabbed her phone from where she'd left it charging and put it inside her handbag. Just as she reached for her car keys on the motel desk, they slipped from her fingers and fell. She looked at them for a moment, trying to figure out how she was going to pick them up.

"You can't pick them up, can you?"

"Not easily."

"I don't mind helping you," Jax said picking up her car keys. "And it's OK to ask for help if you need it. Do you have your room card?"

"Yes."

"Are you ready?"

She nodded.

"One last thing. Are you going to let me kiss you good-night?"

"How about if I kiss you good-night?"

"Tough negotiator. Aren't you going to tell me that you aren't going to have sex with me tonight?"

"I was hoping that would be apparent by my physical condition," she said tartly.

"Yeah, it is obvious. It hurts to watch you walk. Don't worry about my sex life tonight. We'll be back here in time for me to swing by my MC's clubhouse. On Friday and Saturday nights, it's packed with girls," he flashed her that charming grin that could melt all but the iciest of hearts.

"Glad to know you aren't going to do without sex tonight on my account. That would be a _true_ tragedy."


	12. Chapter 12

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 12 Hurt**

Scarlett was one hell of a roller coaster ride. When her door opened, he felt a flood of relief followed by a tsunami of white hot anger for all the hell he'd been through worrying about her. Then the anger was replaced by concern when she collapsed.

She wouldn't be the first girl who faked an injury to get close to him. He'd seen girls do a lot of things to get close to him from faking a twisted ankle to flattening a car tire. She hadn't been faking it though. If he hadn't caught her and carried her to her bed, she would have hit the floor hard.

He liked the calm matter of fact way she handled the situation. Even more, he liked the way she felt in his arms. Her skin was smooth and deliciously soft. She might claim to be defective, but her body had plenty of heat.

When the time was right, he was going to make her burn for him. He'd show her that she wasn't defective; it was the men she'd been with before him. They just didn't how to handle her.

When she'd gotten up from the bed, he noticed how difficult it was for her and how she would flinch from the pain as she moved slowly and stiffly. He assessed his chances of having sex with her to be extremely small to nonexistent and yet he'd stayed. It didn't have anything to do with the promise of a free meal and the chance to drive her Corvette.

He was used to being chased by girls. On those occasions when he'd actually chased a girl, it hadn't taken much effort. When he told her that he would swing by his MC's clubhouse for a girl, she hadn't shown the slightest bit of jealousy.

He wasn't used to a girl being indifferent to him. She intrigued him and that didn't happen often. He wanted to get to know her and that surprised him.

Jax couldn't remember the last time he'd had a conversation with a girl when his goal hadn't been to get her into bed. Out of habit, he did run through sex positions, but couldn't come up with one that he could use with Scarlett's back injury.

Over dinner at Steaked, he told her about SAMCRO. She seemed fascinated by the MC and listened to him intently. Most of the crow-eaters had the attention span of a TV commercial. He couldn't remember a single conversation with one.

After dinner, she'd asked him if he would mind delaying his night of debauchery at his clubhouse long enough for them to take a walk. She explained that it helped her back to walk and she couldn't walk on her own given her physical condition. He agreed because he liked spending time with her even though it wasn't going to lead to sex that night. He was confident that sex was inevitable between them because he was Jax Teller and that's what his history had taught him.

He drove them to a small manmade lake with a well-lighted walking path around it. They worked out a way for him to help her walk. She bent her arm and he took her elbow and guided her, making sure she didn't stumble. They walked slowly. She had to take small steps to avoid sending jarring pain up her spine.

It felt good to just take a few minutes and slow down a little. His life sometimes seemed to be at a constant run. He feared it was going to get worse before it got better and the longer he spent with the beautiful and charming Scarlett, the more he found himself liking her.

After two laps around the lake, he stopped by his favorite convenience store, Quik Go. She stayed in the car so she wouldn't have to get in and out of her car. She had trouble going from a sitting to a standing position. She had to do it in stages.

He returned her to her motel room. He took the small empty cooler she had in her room and filled it with ice. He brought his purchases from the store to her room. He put three of the six plastic bottled Cokes in the ice and arranged three candy bars on the night stand. He left the other three Cokes within arm's reach of the nightstand.

"I don't want you to pass out again," he said. "If you end up on the floor, I don't know how the hell you are going to get up."

"Thank you. It was very thoughtful of you," she said softly. She shook her head a little. "Now, you better head out. There are girls waiting for you I'm sure."

"Be careful about the drugs you take. You don't want to accidentally overdose—at least not until we've spent a night together," he flashed that grin that had gotten him into so many women's panties.

She laughed and grimaced as the muscles pulled.

"How about I write you a note that says if I'm dead, the authorities should call you and you can have sex with my corpse?" She smiled at him, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I don't mind spending time warming you up darlin', but even at my best, I can't warm up a corpse. So be careful about how much you take."

She stood on tiptoe and gave him a chaste peck on the cheek, her hand on his chest so she could keep him at a distance.

He left feeling that she had once again gotten the upper hand. This didn't happen to Jax Teller.

He rode past the clubhouse. Suddenly a night of drinking and banging crow-eaters didn't have its normal appeal. He drove to his dark and empty house. He hated spending the night alone. He returned to the clubhouse. His crow-eater conquests had no idea that he wasn't seeing their faces. He was seeing Scarlett's.

And now, he had the upper hand with Scarlett. He remembered he still had her gun.


	13. Chapter 13

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 12 Kink**

She watched from the windows of her apartment that overlooked the lake. Jax was with the blonde whore again. They were walking around the lake. The whore could barely walk and that was with Jax helping her.

What the hell did he do to her? There must have been some wild and kinky sex for the whore to get that injured.

She hoped Jax remembered what he'd done to the whore because she wanted him to do the same to her.

Why couldn't Jax love her?

She curled into a ball and soaked her pillow in tears.


	14. Chapter 14

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 14 Ransom**

Jax waited a couple of hours, so Scarlett would be deeply asleep from her medication cocktail before he called her. He wanted to leave a message on her cell's voice mail.

He disentangled himself from the arms of a naked sleeping blonde crow-eater possibly named Amy or Emma and went into the bathroom in the apartment at the clubhouse. He'd been pretty drunk and decided to spend the night in the apartment instead of riding home on his bike.

"Scarlett, I have a piece of your property. I'll return it to you, but you're going to have to pay a ransom to get it back. Call me and we'll discuss terms."

He grinned imagining her face when she got his message.

When she called back, he started smiling the moment he saw her name on his cell's caller ID.

"I can't believe you want me to give you ransom to get back my property," she said feigning outrage.

"Believe it. You are going to have to pay a price."

"Do you really think I gave you my only gun?" she asked amusement in her voice. "Do you think I'm that stupid?"

"You have more than one gun?"

"Hell yes!" she said laughing. "I've got a .32 in my handbag. I also have two 9 mils, one under the front seat of my car the other under the passenger's seat. I may also have a false bottom in my car's trunk where there may be an additional handgun as well as extra clips."

"Your life is that dangerous?"

"No, my enemies are," she said.

He laughed. He couldn't tell whether she was joking about her firearms or if she were serious. It was all part of what he found so fascinating about her.

"Since you have plenty of other guns, does that mean you don't want the one I have back."

"That depends on the ransom."

"I want a kiss."

"I gave you a kiss last night."

"On the cheek and your lips felt like sandpaper."

"They did not," she said hotly.

Jax chuckled at her reaction.

"Bastard," she said.

"How are you doing today?"

"I'm not as stiff and the pain isn't as bad. I am definitely better."

"There's this city event. It's mostly food booths and crafts, but I thought it would help give you an idea about Charming's businesses. There are also places to sit, so you could rest your back. Would you be up for that?"

"As long as you don't mind helping me a little."

Even when he ended the call, he was smiling. He shocked himself. He was beginning to enjoy chasing Scarlett and when he did seduce her and there was no doubt in his mind that he would succeed, it would make the sex between them that much hotter.

And she would discover that he had the winning hand in this game among other winning parts of his body.


	15. Chapter 15

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 15 Unfair**

Tara's BBQ with David Hale was over before she even made it to his house. A first anniversary party had turned into a drunken brawl with domestic violence, child endangerment/child abuse, a couple of attempted murders, public urination, public intoxication and lewd acts involving four men, two women and a couple of teenagers spread across four neighborhood families.

He spent most of the night filling out paperwork, writing reports and trying to keep the situation from escalating further.

To make up for the cancelled BBQ, he was taking Tara to the annual food and crafts fair that the city of Charming sponsored. It wasn't much of a fair, but in small town Charming it was one of the social events of the year.

The city closed off a couple of streets and local vendors and residents sent up booths selling food and various crafts—everything from paintings to crocheted scarves to an endless sea of hand poured candles.

Tara was nervous that she would run into Jax. She didn't want to run into him when she was with David because they wouldn't be able to talk. She didn't see any bikes in the parking lot, so she was hoping that meant that SAMCRO wasn't attending the event or at least it's hottest biker wasn't going to be there.

She did notice there was a red Corvette. A car that flashy stuck out in Charming. She'd watched some TV program and a comic called Corvettes mid-life crisis cars for men. It had gotten big laughs because there was a lot of truth to it. She decided the owner was probably a short, divorced bald guy.

Tara also didn't want to run into Jax when she was with David for another reason; he just couldn't compare to Jax. David was attractive in an average way, but he often came across as rigid and humorless. It was the same way people often saw her unless they got to know her.

How could she let David touch her after she'd seen Jax? She couldn't. It was that simple. She couldn't even pretend it was Jax. It wasn't David's fault.

She just didn't feel that physical connection she had with Jax, but she'd never felt that physical connection with any man except Jax and to a lesser degree Josh Kohn. She had even called him Joshy. How could she have fallen even a little bit for a man with a nickname that revolting?

She was most afraid of running into Jax with another girl. From what Donna told her Jax always had some girl around. She was extremely jealous, but she'd learned to conceal and control this feeling. It had been ten years, she reminded herself; she had no right to be jealous.

She got that Jax would have turned to crow-eaters for comfort after she left him, but _hundreds_? Could Donna's estimate be anywhere close to reality? She hoped it was just an exaggeration.

As they rounded the corner of an ice cream booth, she saw Jax with a stunning blonde girl. She shouldn't have been surprised that Jax was with a beautiful girl. She always believed that she wasn't pretty enough or hot enough for him. It was an insecurity that had haunted her during their entire relationship.

The blonde and Jax were looking into each other's eyes and laughing. He was holding onto her elbow and they seemed emotionally connected.

The sight caught at her heart and knocked the breath out of her. She wanted to run away, go home and cry. She should never have come back to Charming. She would never be good enough for Jax. She needed to face that truth.

"You want to turn around? I don't think we've been seen," David asked.

"No. I'm going to have to face him sooner or later. Might as well get it over with now."

Tara was glad she'd only had a small amount of ice cream to eat because she felt like she was going to throw up.

A girl with that blonde's looks never knew how hard life could be for others that weren't blessed with her beauty and body. Tara had had to work for everything she had. No one had ever handed her anything based on her looks.

If Tara threw up, she was aiming for Jax's girlfriend. It wouldn't even out the unfairness of life, but it would provide a little bit of comfort.


	16. Chapter 16

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 16 Loofah**

Scarlett had come to see her severe back spasms as a blessing. It gave her a great reason to avoid sex and Jax seemed willing enough to spend time with her knowing that it wasn't going to go anywhere.

After he left Saturday night, she listened to the messages he'd left on her cell phone and she could hear his concern deepen with each message. That last message simply asked her, even if she never wanted to see him again, to call and let him know she was alive. He'd been so worried that he'd come to her motel and pounded on her door.

His concern didn't mean he was in love with her, but he was developing some fondness for her. When she'd asked him to take her on a walk last night, he'd agreed. He was kind, gentle and careful with her. He also didn't make her feel like she was a burden to him.

The truth was she liked spending time with him. It was easy to be light-hearted and flirtatious with him. It had been a long time since she'd enjoyed spending time with a man.

She just had to keep reminding herself that Jax was her target and it wouldn't be good to like him too much because she was going to betray him. Finally, she topped it off by thinking of the hundreds of women he'd seduced. How much was real and how much was he playing her to get her to sleep with him?

Scarlett followed a long hot shower with muscle relaxer and a nap before she got ready for Jax. She was moving more easily, but she still had several more days of recovery ahead of her.

She liked to change her appearance up by using different make-up and varying how much she used. She was leaving her hair the way it dried so it was wavy and a bit curly. She used a smoky berry eyeshadow that made her eyes look greener, a little blush and a deep red lipstick that she coated her lips with over and over again.

Jax arrived this time with a polite knock at her door. His hair was still wet from his shower. He had on a long-sleeved white SAMCRO T-shirt, jeans and his cut.

"You have my gun?"

He reached into his cut and held it out to her.

"Now, I'm going to give it to you and trust that you will pay the ransom."

"I'll pay the ransom."

He handed her the gun. She pulled the clip from the gun, making sure it was full and checked that there was still a round in the chamber.

"Don't trust me?"

"I just want to make sure that if I need to use this, I know it's loaded and ready to go. I always check my weapons if someone else has had them. I'm compulsive that way."

"That's not a bad thing. It's never a good time to need your gun only to discover someone took the clip out. I don't think you will need that tonight."

"I do have my smaller gun in my purse. OK. I'll leave it."

"I can always protect you."

"Thanks for the offer, but I protect myself. Although in my physical condition, I'm kind of limited to using my gun since I can't fight or even run away."

"It's going to be OK. I'm not taking you anywhere dangerous."

She slipped the gun under the bed pillow on the side she didn't sleep on.

"Now, my part," she said walking over to him.

She ran her hand slowly up his shirt front before snaking her other arm around his neck. She took the point of his beard at the chin and held it lightly with her fingers. She brought her lips slowly to his touching them lightly. Suddenly she veered from his mouth and buried her lips in his beard, smearing her red lipstick all over his facial hair using her hold on his beard and her arm around his neck to keep him prisoner. She pulled back from him laughing.

"I paid the ransom," she said releasing her hold on his beard.

"If you didn't have that back injury," Jax said with a wicked gleam in his eye. "I'd pin you to your bed and use my beard to exfoliate your skin _everywhere_."

"Jax Teller human loofah," she said grinning. "I bet there aren't many girls in Charming who would turn down that offer." Despite the coolness of her words, her face was flushed.

"I can only think of one girl who would be that foolish."

Jax went into the bathroom and used a washcloth to clean his face and beard off, while Scarlett used the mirror over the dresser to wipe off her lipstick and replace it with a sheer berry lip stain.

"You aren't getting off that easy," Jax said returning from the bathroom.

He walked up behind her and put his arm across her, pining her arms to her sides and then he pushed aside her hair and rubbed his beard along the back of her neck with just enough pressure to tickle her skin.

Scarlett had great self-control when it came to sex, but the feel of his beard against her skin was heating her up. His breath was warm on her neck as he brushed his lips along the path he'd taken with his beard.

He smiled when he heard her catch her breath.

"I'm going to remember what you did to me and what I've told you I'm going to do to you," Jax whispered softly in her ear, still standing behind her, pinning her arms to her side. "You won't be injured forever."

"I can leave town," she whispered. Her heart was pounding and she felt weak in the knees again, only this time it wasn't from low blood sugar.

"Coward. I think you're afraid I'm going to melt the ice and you are going to burn for me."

"Never going to happen," she said coolly.

She was proud of herself for managing to sound calm and cool when he had liquefied her insides with his touch. Jax Teller in full seduction mode was going to be much harder to resist than she imagined. The timing of her back injury couldn't be better or safer for her.

The sun was just beginning to set as Jax pulled into the parking lot. While Scarlett was better, she still found getting in and out of her car especially difficult. As much as she hated being dependent for help, she let him take her elbow to guide and support her as needed.

"You are going to really burnish my sexual reputation," Jax said with a grin.

"How is that?"

"Some may assume you were injured when we were together."

She stopped in her tracks and stared out him. She couldn't tell whether or not he was serious.

"Why would they assume something like that? You hurt women when you are romantic with them?"

"No, they'll think it was something creative that went wrong."

"How could anything with you and sex go wrong?"

"Good point."

"I'll tell you what I'll do, I will tell your MC friends that it happened during something sexually creative and you have to promise not to loofah me."

Jax rubbed his hand over his beard and shook his head.

"I could tell them something that would be less flattering. A lot less flattering."

"Go ahead and do that," Jax said looking through the crowd. "Here comes a couple of them now."

Juice and Half-Sack were making their way towards them.

"Bring it on, darlin'."


	17. Chapter 17

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 17 Pelican**

Jax found Scarlett entertaining and he fully intended to pin her to her bed and give her body the loofah treatment with his beard. Maybe by the time her back injury healed, he would have warmed her up enough.

He was beginning to come around to the idea that maybe instant sexual gratification wasn't _always_ best. He enjoyed building up sexual tension with Scarlett.

"Last chance," Scarlett said. "If you promise not to loofah me, I can make this go really well for you."

Jax laughed.

"You've got nothing. I can hear the desperation in your voice. Go ahead and tell them whatever story you want."

Juice and Half-Sack walked up to them.

"Scarlett, this is Juice and Half-Sack. Scarlett is visiting Charming."

"I'm thinking about opening a cookie and coffee shop business," she said.

The two men eyed Scarlett lingering on the curve of her breasts and the hint of cleavage on display in her fuchsia colored V-necked T-shirt.

"You should definitely stay in Charming," Juice said.

Half-Sack nodded his agreement.

"Scarlett injured her back. Do you want to tell them how it happened?" Jax asked turning to Scarlett with a smile.

"Are you sure you really want me to?"

"I don't have secrets from my brothers."

"OK. Jax and I were talking and it turned out he didn't know what the Kama Sutra was. Can you believe that? Anyway, I was telling him that my favorite position is the pelican only I have my own variation—inverted with a half twist."

Juice and Half-Sack were staring at Scarlett. She was a unicorn—a beautiful hot woman who had a crazy amount of sexual knowledge. It seemed only natural that Jax would have found this magical woman.

"Things were sort of going along OK when Jax drops me from five feet up flat onto my back. Someone, and that would be Jax, needs to spend a little more time in the gym working on his upper body and less time combing his beard."

Juice and Half-Sack broke into laughter doubling over imagining the scene.

"Anything else you care to add?" Jax asked raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I'll leave it at that. There's no point continuing and humiliating you any further."

Juice and Half-Sack exchanged looks.

"Since Scarlett injured her back, she can't stand in one place for very long. We need to keep walking. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Nice meeting you," Juice said.

" _Really_ nice meeting you," Half-Sack said.

Jax steered Scarlett to an out of the way corner.

"I do know what the Kama Sutra is. Now about the pelican . . ."

"I don't know if that's in the book or not. I just made it up."

"Both Juice and Half-Sack will probably spend half the night trying to find out."

"I warned you."

"I loved the part about combing my beard. Great detail."

"Thanks."

"Give me your hand. I want to show you something."

"You can show me with my eyes."

"It will be more fun my way."

Reluctantly, Scarlett allowed him to take her hand. He lifted her hand to his shoulders and underneath the sleeve of his T-shirt so she could feel his biceps. Before she could pull her hand away, he forced her hand under his shirt, pressing her hand against his abs.

He watched her face flush.

"When we get back to your motel, I'll take my shirt off and you can let me know if I should spend more time in the gym."

Her hand was still pressed against Jax's rock hard abs. She tried to pull her hand away, but Jax held her hand against him for a couple of seconds before releasing his hold on her hand.

"OK. Maybe you should spend less time in the gym and more time combing your beard."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure it's in top condition before I loofah you with it."


	18. Chapter 18

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 18 Dry**

"I should have thought that through a little more," Scarlett said. "Now your MC thinks I'm a slut."

"You're with me. That's the usual assumption," Jax said with a laugh. "That, or we're sleeping together."

Scarlett once more gave thanks for her back injury. Violet told her about Jax's good looks, the long shaggy blonde hair, those piercing laser blue eyes and that smile that could catch at a woman's heart.

Her sister didn't warn her about Jax's charm or the way he could poke fun at himself. Good looks were easy to resist, even a man soaked with sex appeal could be resisted, but his charm was going to be much harder.

"That didn't work out so well for me."

"It worked out well for me. The guys see me with a beautiful and sexy as hell woman who has crazy sex knowledge. You've really enhanced my sexual reputation."

"Thanks for the beautiful and sexy as hell woman part."

"There's a bright side."

"You've decided not to loofah me," she asked hopefully, "since I've helped your reputation?"

He leaned close, his lips near her ear.

"No, I'm going to give you a choice. My beard as a loofah or we take a shower together and I dry you with me tongue."

Scarlett burst into laughter, wrapping her arm around her stomach in an attempt to minimize the pull on her back that laughing caused.

"Has that line ever worked?"

Jax chuckled.

"First time I've tried it. You tell me."

"Lines don't work on me, so it might work on other women. I'm sure if you just say "hi" that works since you're Jax Teller."

"There's some truth to that," he said with a grin. "Tell me, are you completely immune?"

"To lines or to you?"

"To me."

The way he was looking at her made her catch her breath. He made her feel like a Third World country who was trying to fight a Superpower. The outcome was a foregone conclusion; it was just a question of when.

Scarlett didn't give up easily even when defeat seemed inevitable. She'd gotten out of some tough situations; she would not give in to Jax's nuclear weapon level charm.

"I'm immune to all guys like you."

"I'll just have to show you that I'm not like all the guys you're grouping me with."

Scarlett shook her head.

"Good luck with that."

Jax took her elbow and they began to stroll through the fair again. He kept the pace slow, but not as slow as yesterday. Scarlett was walking more easily, but she still had to take small steps to keep her pain level down.

"I'm an idiot. Last week, I was lifting a lot of boxes. My back was a little stiff, but I ignored it. I forgot the basic rule of soft tissue injuries."

"And that is . . ."

"It can take a week to ten days for a soft tissue injury to hit you. If my back were just stiff from driving, I would have more improvement."

"What does that mean for your recovery?"

"It isn't going to be quick. It's going to take weeks and it's going to be slow. I might try to find a gym where I can use a treadmill or a recumbent bike or I could find a motel that has work-out equipment."

"I'm going running in the morning at the high school. It's a nice, even flat surface. There aren't many people at the track. You could walk there."

"That would be great. I need to rebuild the muscles and walking is the safest way. Thanks."

He had taken the bad news in stride. It surprised her. She thought he might be angry. She'd gotten that reaction before.

She noticed the slightest stiffening of his body.

"Hi, Jax," a brunette said.

Scarlett had heard this almost non-stop since they arrived at the fair; this was the first time, he had stopped and said more than "hi".

"Tara. Hale. This is Scarlett. Scarlett, this is Tara Knowles."

" _Dr_. Tara Knowles," Tara corrected.

Jax and Hale exchanged bemused looks.

"Tara and I dated for a few years back in high school," Jax said. "This is David Hale, acting police chief of Charming."

"I'm thinking about opening a cookie and coffee place. Could I borrow you for a second, chief? I have business climate/law enforcement questions I want to ask." Scarlett said.

As she walked off with David, she smiled mischievously at Jax. He raised an eyebrow and shook his head.

"How long have you known Jax?"

"We met when I came to town a few days ago."

"About those law enforcement questions . . ."

"I don't really have any of those questions. I have to say this, before I forget, when I saw you and Jax said you were police chief, I thought of that line in the movie _LA Confidential_ when Lynn the Veronica Lake lookalike meets Bud White at the liquor store. Have you seen the movie?"

"It's one of my favorites. I've seen it many times. I know that scene. She tells him that cop is practically stamped on his face."

"I hope you're not offended."

"Not at all. I'm more the Exley type," Hale said.

"I would have guessed that too. I was disappointed with the commentary on the DVD that the writers didn't discuss how they approached adapting the book into a movie."

Scarlett's instincts were correct when she sized up David Hale. She felt he would be a fan of crime noir and it doesn't get more noir than James Ellroy's crime fiction.

"Even Ellroy said it was unfilmable," Hale said.

"Have you read his books?"

"I've read them all."

"I'm not quite there yet. I find I can only read a book every six months or life just gets too dark for me."

Hale nodded his head.

"I went on vacation with three of his novels. Big mistake."

Scarlett laughed and grimaced as the muscles pulled. She wrapped her hand around her waist again.

"I moved boxes and spent too long driving. Now, I'm paying the price with a messed up back," Scarlett explained. "I do have some questions about Charming, though. Jax told me about a blonde woman being found dead outside Charming."

"The little girl who found the body and her family live in Charming. The woman was outside in the unincorporated county area."

"It's made me a little nervous. If there's some lunatic hunting blonde women, I don't think I want to live in a town where I have to dodge a serial killer."

"I don't know much about what the county has turned up. The woman was a hooker. That's about all I know."

"Sounds like a serial killer to me. I'm not a hooker, stripper or in a high risk group. Still, it makes me nervous there's a killer out there."

"The woman wasn't abducted from Charming."

"That makes me feel a little better. Jax told me that another woman was killed a few months ago. Her body was found just outside the city limits too. Do you think they are related?"

Scarlett was proud at how matter of fact she kept her voice. No one would ever guess that she was asking about a beloved sister.

"The first woman was a nanny and she lived in Charming. She was shot in the head. The blonde woman was stabbed."

"Different victim profiles and different means of death. It doesn't mean it wasn't a serial killer. Only on TV does a serial killer keep to a rigid profile."

"Serial killers are rare."

"Statistically more common in California," Scarlett said.

"Too true. Carry pepper spray and be aware of your surroundings."

"Thanks, chief," Scarlett said drily.

Hale laughed.

"I know. It's easy for a man to say. A killer isn't hunting men."

"I do have one last question. Jax told me his MC is an outlaw MC. What does that mean? Do they borrow library books and not bring them back?"

Hale laughed so hard his body shook.

"That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. I was just imaging the MC with library cards."

"OK. I guess they do a little more than steal library books."

"Talk to Jax." Hale pulled out a business card holder and a pen. "If you get scared, you can call me. My card has my work number on it and I'm writing my private cell number. If you give me your number, if I hear anything that might put you in danger, I'll call you."

"You can call me even if I'm not in danger. We can talk crime fiction and film noir," Scarlett said. She gave him her cell number and she watched as he put her number in his phone's contacts.

"Maybe we can watch _LA Confidential_ and discuss the film."

"I'd like that."

They walked back to where Jax and Tara were standing. Scarlett might feel like a Third World country, but she'd just scored a hit—it just wasn't clear if the hit were on David Hale, Jax or Tara or a combination of the three.

She wondered if flirting with another man a few feet away from Jax was the wisest course of action. That might have been a mistake.


	19. Chapter 19

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 19 Free**

Jax was sure that he was over Tara and all his love for her had died, but there was only one way to know for sure; he had to face her. He looked at her. Same brown hair and eyes. Not much had changed with her at least not outwardly.

He was the one who changed. He felt nothing for her. No love. No hate. Just emptiness.

He realized he'd been carrying the weight of that dead relationship on his shoulders for the past ten years. Now, it was all gone. He was free.

The same could not be said of Tara. There was something about the look in her eyes and the tone of her voice that made him believe that she was still in love with him.

He didn't want to hurt her, but he wasn't about to get back together with her to spare her heartache. Tara had only herself to blame. She wanted him to move away from Charming and give up the MC. He wanted her to go to school nearby, so they could still see each other on weekends.

Compromise was out of the question to her. Tara wanted all of him or none of him. She got none of him. He had spent too long being bitter about that.

When she left town, he drowned himself in liquor, weed and pussy. He was also acting like a nineteen year old guy. Despite the crushing heartbreak, he had also felt relief. He no longer had to try to figure out how to fix his crumbling relationship.

His feelings, or more accurately, his lack of feelings for Tara had nothing to do with Scarlett. He didn't know what the future held with her or even if they had one. He enjoyed her company. She made him feel alive. For the moment, that was enough.

As he half-listened to Tara talk about her medical school training and her surgical skills, he was looking at Scarlett. He remembered one of the things he'd disliked most about Tara—she could suck the fun out of any occasion.

He was also reminded of her snobbish, superior attitude. She looked down at residents because they lived in a small town. She also looked down on blue collar workers because she was going to attain real status by becoming not just a doctor, but a surgeon.

Now, here she was talking to him so sweetly. It confirmed his belief that she had returned to Charming because she was still in love with him. She was too late.

He frowned as he watched Scarlett with Hale. They were getting along a little too well. She'd even gotten the almost always too serious Hale to laugh.

His eyes flashed with anger as he watched Hale write something on a card and hand it to Scarlett. He was only a few yards away and Hale had just given his phone number to her. That son of a bitch.

Jax didn't understand the way he felt until it hit him. This wasn't just anger. He was jealous. It was an emotion he had never felt before and he didn't like it. Scarlett's fault? Hale's fault? Both? He just knew it wasn't his fault.


	20. Chapter 20

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 20 Altar**

Time was supposed to heal the heart. It had been almost four years since he'd been left at the altar and the hate he felt for her had only grown along with his desire to make her every waking moment a living hell.

He still went into fits of rage when he thought of how close they had been to getting her. Those four co-workers of hers all swore that she wasn't going to be at their little party. Maybe they thought that would spare their lives. It hadn't. He had ordered their executions and never given them another thought.

He only allowed himself to look at her picture once a day; otherwise, he spent the whole day in a blind rage. Dark brown hair, those incredible deep green eyes and those beautiful succulent lips.

When he got is hands on her, she wouldn't be beautiful any more.


	21. Chapter 21

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 21 Urgent**

For a moment when she saw the anger on Jax's face, she was transported back four years ago to the time when her fiancé would come unhinged over just about anything. Inside, she could feel herself cower like a frightened animal, but outwardly she appeared calm and cool.

She was just experiencing a flashback, she told herself. Not every man was like her ex-fiancé. She discovered jealousy wasn't a sign of a man who was passionate; it was the sign of a man who had some mental instability. She'd almost paid for that lesson with her life. She was smarter now. She hoped so anyway.

The truth was she had been so scarred by what happened with her fiancé, that she hadn't been in another relationship. That emotional part of her had switched off and she didn't know how to turn it back on. When she told Jax that she was defective, there was far more truth in her words than she wanted to admit.

What happened with Jax in the next few minutes would determine whether or not Scarlett would continue with her plan. If Jax went into a jealous rage, Scarlett would have to think up a new plan that didn't involve him.

"Did you find out what you needed to know about the business climate?"

There wasn't anything in Jax's voice that gave Scarlett a clue to what Jax was feeling. Maybe she was wrong about seeing anger on his face.

"I didn't have questions about the business climate. I used that as an excuse because I wanted to find out whether or not there's a serial killer hunting blonde women."

"What was Hale's verdict?"

"He doesn't know. The blonde was a hooker which says serial killer to me, but the police chief isn't so sure. He did say she wasn't abducted from Charming. He didn't say how he knew that though."

"Even if there is a serial killer, you're safe. You aren't in the victim pool."

"That assumes the killer stays with killing hookers. He could be using killing hookers as training before he kills a more mainstream victim."

"Like you."

"Like me or Dr. Tara Knowles."

Jax stopped walking and turned to face Scarlett.

"Any hope you had of _ever_ persuading me not to loofah you with my beard, just died when you left me alone with my ex-girlfriend. That was the first time I've seen her in ten years."

"Oh, hell. That's bad," Scarlett shook her head. It was no wonder he wasn't happy with her. "I wouldn't have done that if I'd known. The meeting couldn't have been that horrible. I didn't hear any yelling or see any violence."

"Is that how meetings with your exes usually go?"

"I don't know. I've never run into one. How long has she been back in town?"

"A couple of months."

"I can only think of two reasons she's back in Charming," Scarlett said. "She's back for you or her career has suffered a huge setback and she's back here because someone helped her get a job. If I were betting, I'd say she still loves you and wants you back."

"Let's keep walking," Jax said, taking Scarlett's elbow and guiding her.

Jax seemed lost in thought, so Scarlett decided to remain silent. If Jax still loved Tara, she would need to find another way into SAMCRO.

She'd picked Jax because she wanted to find out what he knew about Violet's death since he was the last known person to see her alive. He was also the vice-president and would know more about the inner workings of the club than a regular member.

"The thought that she might still be in love with me crossed my mind too." Jax said, breaking his silence. "Ten years is a long time. She feels like a stranger to me."

"Just because you were in love with her once, it doesn't mean that you will always love her, but, maybe with time, the two of you can find your way back to each other," Scarlett said.

Scarlett was still playing it cool with Jax to keep him guessing about her feelings for him. She didn't know how she felt about him, so she was also keeping herself guessing.

"I don't want her in my life. There was a lot of bad at the end."

"What seems great when you're in high school can be completely different ten years later. The two of you may have grown in different ways and maybe you don't fit together any longer."

"How did you get so smart, Scarlett?"

Scarlett stopped walking and leaned close to Jax.

"Shhh. . ," she said in a whisper putting her finger over her lips. "I'm really a brunette. That's why I'm so smart. I camouflage my brilliance with blonde hair, so people underestimate me."

Jax burst into laughter.

"You are funny as hell."

He kissed her on the lips catching her by surprise. He pulled away and looked at her.

Scarlett felt her insides turn liquid again as that laser blue gaze of his looked into her eyes. She reminder herself that he was just a guy with a very polished seduction act, but she was beginning to feel like she was special.

Stupid girl, Scarlett told herself. Every girl this guy's been with and it's in the _hundreds_ thought she was special too. She was smarter than that.

Scarlett's phone alerted her that she had received a text message. She rarely got text messages and when she did, it was usually bad news.

She grabbed her phone from her bag and looked at the text message. It was just one word "urgent".


	22. Chapter 22

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 22 Spy**

It was almost time to go to bed. She had to get up early. She went to the window in her loft hoping she might catch one last glimpse of Jax walking around the lake. No Jax. She would just have to be content that she'd seen him at the fair earlier.

He brought the blonde whore and paraded her around so everyone knew that she was with him. She could still barely walk. What kind of sex could have caused that kind of injury? Was the pleasure worth the pain?

Sex with Jax would be worth everything to her. If she could just be with Jax even once, that would be enough to keep her happy for the rest of her life. That wasn't too much to ask especially since Jax had slept with hundreds of girls. What difference did one more matter?

Why was Jax still with the blonde whore? Could he be falling for her? He was always smiling and laughing when he was with her. She had never seen Jax do that with any other girl, not that she could remember anyway. He was probably just being nice to her because he'd injured her and he felt guilty.

That was all it could be. He just felt guilty. He couldn't be falling in love with that whore. She would _never_ let that blonde whore have him.


	23. Chapter 23

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 23 Baby**

Wendy drove her beat-up white Chevy Malibu through the gates of Little Charming Estates. Despite the grand name, Little Charming Estates was a run-down family trailer park at the outer edge of Charming.

Small strips of grass separated one trailer's lot from the next. There were cars parked on the grass, dogs and kids both ran wild and loud arguments provided a permanent sound track to trailer park life.

Wendy parked her car on the grass outside a light blue and white trailer. She opened the front screen door and walked inside.

"Mom, it's Wendy. Are you home?"

When Wendy received no answer, she went in search of her. It didn't take long to find her. Her mother was passed out drunk on her bed. After being gone six weeks, nothing had changed.

She was freshly rehabbed courtesy of Jax Teller, her almost ex-husband. She rubbed her stomach automatically as she felt the baby kick.

Jax hadn't been pleased when she told him she was pregnant. He told her he wasn't ready to be a father. She had scheduled an abortion three times and each time, she found that she couldn't go through with it.

It wasn't out of any great love for the unborn baby she carried. It was simple; that baby was her ticket back into Jax's life. The baby would keep Jax in her life for the next eighteen years. That was a long time. She was confident that she could get Jax to fall in love with her.

She walked into her bedroom and found her hype kit. There were even a couple of thumb bags. It would be wasteful to flush them down the toilet. One little bit of crank would be OK.

Six weeks of rehab had failed to convince Wendy she was addicted to crank. She knew she was strong and could quit whenever she wanted. She'd only gone to rehab to please Jax.

She felt the pinch of the needle and then the crank hitting her bloodstream. It was such a pleasurable experience. Why would she give this up?


	24. Chapter 24

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 24 Recall**

Scarlett told Jax that she needed to make a call privately and left him. The shaking in her hands as she entered the phone number into her cell was nothing compared to the trembling that was going on inside her. This could be the call that would force her to run again.

"I got your text," Scarlett said.

"I think I know how he found you. That job you had was the first one you had with medical benefits."

"That's why this call was urgent?"

"Uh-huh."

Scarlett let out a long sigh. She had been holding her breath without realizing it.

"I was imagining worse. I'm relieved," she said. "You think he found me through some data breach? He wouldn't have known the name I was using."

"No, I think he had someone bribe people at major health insurance companies. How many girls your height, age, eye color have your surgical history?"

Scarlett thought about that for a few moments.

"The doctor I was seeing had my medical history. I wouldn't think that would go to the insurance company."

"You had a lot of physio on your back a few months before that event."

That event was a reference to Scarlett finding her co-workers dead a few months ago.

"You're right. They could have come up with a pool of possibles that roughly matched my physical description who had physio."

"That would be a manageable number to investigate."

"That's a relief. I couldn't figure out how he could have found me. I have been so careful."

"If you need medical attention, use a different name and pay cash. That way you will fly under the internet radar."

"I messed up my back a little. I was thinking about getting some physio."

"And that's why this was an urgent call."

Scarlett smiled.

"Thanks, dad. Love you."

"Be careful. Love you too."

Scarlett ended the phone call. As she walked through the crowds, slowly and painfully, to catch up to Jax, she was considering what she was going to tell him.

If she made no mention of the call, it would give her some mystery. That could be useful. She could also make up a story about the phone call and tell him that. That would make her look honest and straight forward. She decided to take the second approach mainly because she'd never tried it.

She saw a couple of girls clustered around a tall blonde guy with his back to her. She wondered how many seconds it took before the first girl attached herself to him. Scarlett walked around so she was facing him.

Jax shooed the girls away and Scarlett shook her head and smiled at Jax.

"You didn't have to get rid of your groupies on my account," Scarlett said.

"I'd rather just be with you," Jax said. For a moment, he seemed taken aback by this admission.

"Yeah, I don't like crowds much either."

Jax took her elbow and he led her to an empty picnic table. He moved the bench so Scarlett could sit with her back to the picnic table using the table top's edge to support her back. He then helped her sit down, letting her use his arm to lower her body to the bench in stages.

He did surprise her with how thoughtfully and gently he treated her. She wouldn't have expected that kind of treatment from a badass biker. He knew that she wasn't going to sleep with him, but he still spent time with her anyway. Maybe there was more to Jax Teller than she initially thought.

He brought hot dogs and Cokes and they sat at the picnic table. Scarlett told her about the phone call from her father. She explained that her mother had suffered a stroke and she was afraid her father was calling to tell bad news about her mother. Instead, he just wanted her to know that they were going on a trip to New Orleans and to call on their cell phones if she needed to reach them.

Scarlett had already come up with this back story when she created her new identity. She discovered it was easier to make up a complete new identity instead of making up pieces of it as needed.

When they got back to her motel, Jax came inside briefly.

"I had a great time today," Scarlett said.

She had that awkward, uncomfortable feeling she always got on a date. She wasn't really dating Jax, she reminded herself. He was a means to an end. She was targeting him, not dating him. That's different.

"I did too with the possible exception of when you left me alone with my ex."

"Will you ever forgive me for that?"

"Possibly after I loofah you."

"You are a cruel man, Jax Teller."

"May I kiss you good-night?"

Scarlett tipped her head back and looked at Jax from half-closed eyes while she thought about it.

"OK."

"Such enthusiasm," Jax said with a little sarcasm.

He tilted her chin up and kissed her lightly one the cheek. He grinned letting her know that he knew she expected more of a kiss.

"That's the best you can do?" she demanded.

"That's the best you're getting tonight. Now be a good girl, take your medication for your back, get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."

"I didn't think guys liked good girls."

"I like good girls. They're the only ones worth chasing."

"Are you chasing me?"

"What do you think, darlin'?"


	25. Chapter 25

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 25 Junkie**

The junkie whore was fresh out of rehab and back in town. She'd been clean for almost thirty seconds before she started using again. Well done, rehab. Cash those checks and keep the suckers coming.

She never could understand why Jax married Wendy. He was drinking and smoking a lot of weed, maybe that had something to do with it. Everyone except Wendy knew that Jax didn't love her and the marriage would never work.

When his marriage led to the inevitable divorce, she had planned on consoling Jax. She was going to reveal herself and make her move then.

There had been just one little flaw in her plan that she should have seen coming; Jax didn't need consoling because he didn't love Wendy. He filed for divorce and moved ahead with his life as though divorce was nothing more than a parking ticket.

There was a complication; Wendy was pregnant. She was even claiming the baby was Jax's. The way that junkie whore slept around, she didn't know how she could be sure who fathered the baby.

If Wendy gave birth to Jax's baby, she would be in his life for at least eighteen years. She would do anything possible to get Jax back. She would tell him that the baby should have a mother and a father. It might even work for awhile.

She couldn't let that happen. Jax had been miserable when he was with Wendy. He would be even more miserable if he went back to Wendy and stayed for the sake of some baby. She had to rescue Jax both from Wendy and from the baby.

There was only one way to get Wendy and that baby out of Jax's life; Wendy had to die. For awhile she considered just killing the baby. She'd seen on TV that some man had injected his girlfriend with some drug that caused her to have a miscarriage. It took a couple of months to work. It just didn't seem like an efficient way to get rid of a baby. It wasn't foolproof.

She did consider kidnapping Wendy and cutting the baby out of her stomach and then leaving her. Maybe she would live or maybe she would die.

The bloodiness of the act appealed to her. Plunging a knife into that junkie's belly would give her orgasmic pleasure and she could never get enough of that. It was early enough in the junkie whore's pregnancy that taking the baby out of her would cause it to die.

There was a problem with outright murdering Wendy and the baby; Jax would hunt the killer down. He would need payback for the death of that baby despite not wanting it. It was the MC way.

As much as killing Wendy bloody would give her great pleasure, she couldn't do it. Jax's quest for vengeance would hurt and maybe even destroy him because he would never find the killer.

No, the best way to get rid of a junkie was to make sure she had a nice overdose. It was clean, simple and it would all be Wendy's fault. Junkies were most likely to overdose after they had been clean. They lost their tolerance and took too much.

Wendy and whatever spawn she had growing in her belly would overdose. That way the whole blame would be on Wendy. Jax helped her to get clean. It wasn't his fault that she relapsed.

Soon. Wendy had to die soon. It was just a shame that she couldn't die bloody.


	26. Chapter 26

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 26 Lost**

Tara knew the exact moment when she realized that she'd lost Jax. She and David Hale were walking around Charming's fair when they were brought face to face with Jax and his girl of the moment a slut named Scarlett.

She knew that if she ran into Jax there was a very good chance he would have some girl with him, so she hadn't been even a little upset that Jax was with a girl. She also wasn't upset that the girl was prettier with a more voluptuous figure. Jax could always have his pick of girls. It only made sense that he would pick the hottest.

When she and Jax were together in high school and after, there were prettier girls with better bodies always trying to get with him. He told her she was beautiful and that a relationship was about more than appearance whenever she needed reassurance, which, looking back, happened too often.

Her insecurities played a big part in her decision to leave Charming. No matter how great things were going with Jax, she always believed that she was going to lose him. She never felt she was good enough for Jax and it was only a matter of time before Jax realized that. This belief haunted even the best moments in their relationship.

When she left Charming, she felt free. The worst had happened. She didn't have to worry about it happening anymore.

She had been so foolish then. Her insecurity cost her the only man she'd ever loved. She always thought she was so damned smart when she was completely clueless about anything that didn't exist between the pages of a textbook.

When Scarlett made a point of leaving her and Jax alone while she talked with David, she was surprised. Most girls, once they got their hooks into Jax, stayed stuck to his side until he told them to leave.

As she was telling him about medical school and her surgical training, his eyes kept wandering to Scarlett. That was bad enough, but what put her over the edge was when she saw his reaction to David writing something on a business card and handing it to Scarlett.

Even after ten years, she recognized the anger on his face and then she saw an expression she'd never seen in Jax's eyes before—jealousy. That was the moment when she knew she'd lost him. Scarlett was more than a girl for a night. Jax had feelings for this girl.

In all the time she'd known Jax, he had never shown jealousy even when she tried her best to make him jealous. She thought he wasn't the jealous type. It turned out he _was_ the jealous type; she just wasn't worth him getting jealous over.

After Jax and Scarlett walked away, she caught a couple of glimpses of them walking around the fair. He was always smiling and laughing with her as though he enjoyed her company. He hadn't been that way with her in a long time.

Those last couple of months before she left Charming had been rough. After a psych class in her freshman year at UCSD (University of California at San Diego), she came to the conclusion she deliberately sabotaged their relationship by picking fights with him, so it would be easier to leave.

When she was alone with David, he told her that Jax had only known Scarlett a few days. If she'd only run into Jax before he met Scarlett.

She skipped the BBQ with David telling him she had a headache and needed to go home. She knew he saw through the lie, but she didn't care.

She needed alone time because she had a lot of thinking to do. She just hoped this time her thinking would turn out better than the thinking that led her back to Charming.

Tara discovered that the goal she had fought so hard to achieve didn't bring her the joy she expected. Being a neonatal surgeon was a pressure cooker of a job. When surgeries went well, it was bliss. Saving a baby's life and telling the parents the good news was the high point.

Worse was telling parents that despite all the best medical efforts, the baby died. Every time it happened, she would second guess every decision she made. Some infants just had medical problems that were incompatible with life despite surgical intervention.

She knew she had to maintain some professional detachment, but the emotional side she kept hidden from the world caused her heart to break a little every time she had to tell parents their baby was dead.

Her work life just didn't make up for the fact that she didn't have friends or a love life. Her best relationship outside of Jax was with Joshy Kohn.

How could she ever have dated a man who called himself Joshy? That was projectile vomit bad. Even worse, he called her Tar Tar and she had thought it was _cute_. How the hell did she not see that relationship was going to go spectacularly bad? What the hell was wrong with her? Why did she keep asking herself rhetorical questions?

She loved Jax. She never quit loving him. When she discovered there was an opening for a neonatal surgeon at St. Thomas, she took that as a sign from above that she was supposed to go back to Charming because they were destined to be together.

Well, so much for destiny. Her destiny was to have her heart broken again. Making her mistake worse was the damage she was doing to her career by not working at a bigger hospital with more surgical opportunities.

As bad as it was to think she'd lost him to Scarlett, there was another thought that was even worse—she wasn't sure how she felt about Jax.

Seeing him for the first time in ten years brought mixed feelings. She was simultaneously in love with him and uncertain if she still loved him. She was a mental mess.

She loved the Jax of the past. There had been so many good times, but that was ten years ago. Was she in love with Jax the man of today or was she in love with the Jax of her memory?

Her feelings weren't clear. That bond that had been so strong seemed to be gone. She just didn't feel that connection. Maybe all they ever had was just a high school romance and it wasn't an epic love that would stand the test of time.

She was an idiot. Here she was trying to make a decision that she had to live with for the rest of her life based on less than three minutes with Jax. This was the kind of thinking that would further doom her to a life of hell.

She needed a different approach. Instead of trying to connect with the Jax of her memory, she needed to get to know the current Jax just like she would any guy she was interested in romantically.

As for Scarlett, Tara had been with Jax for three years. She knew him better. That meant she knew he had a short attention span when it came to girls. She'd been the exception.

While Jax may appear to have feelings for Scarlett, people don't fall in love in the span of a few days. It was all just lust and the excitement of being with someone new. Scarlett may have Jax, but it was only temporary.

She wasn't about to give up on Jax because he was hanging around with a girl he'd only known for a few days.

If she loved the Jax of now, she would get him back Scarlett or no Scarlett. As far as the connection and their bond, if she and Jax got to know each other again, that bond could be reestablished and strengthened.

Deep down, she still had a little faith left in her relationship with Jax and in their epic love story. While it looked like she had lost Jax for now, that didn't mean she'd lost him forever. There might still be a happy ending waiting for them.


	27. Chapter 27

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 27 Fix**

Wendy was convinced that the only people who had a problem with drug use were people who didn't use them and the rehab centers that profited from the myth that drug use was bad.

As far as the baby was concerned, the baby liked crank and would do little somersaults in her tummy. She didn't believe all the medical stuff about it damaging the baby. Besides, the baby was using her body like some parasite. The baby owed her its life. It was lucky that she hadn't had an abortion.

Rehab centers had everyone convinced that drugs were bad when what was really bad was not having drugs. That was what she was experiencing now, but when you lived in Charming's least desirable trailer park, there was always someone who either deals or knew someone who did. Sometimes there were even people who would make it while you waited.

She drove her beat up Chevy Malibu to Charming's most upscale pawn shop. It paid the best. She dug her wedding ring and engagement ring out of the bottom of her purse and pawned them. She liked the idea that Jax paid for her rehab and now he was paying for her drugs. It was his fault that she had to pawn the rings. If he gave her money, she wouldn't have had to pawn her rings.

Anger still burned hot in her over how quickly Jax had thrown their marriage away. It was rocky; she couldn't deny that, but it wasn't all her fault. He knew she liked to party and use crank before they got married.

After the wedding, he decided she had to give up her drug of choice while he was getting high every chance he got. He then had the nerve to blame her for his increased pot use. He said he needed it to deal with her like he was so damned perfect.

Sometimes, she hated Jax and this was one of those times. Fuck you, Jax Teller and your wedding ring and your engagement ring and your divorce and your damn baby who was ruining her body.

With money in her hand from her pawned rings, she went to the new crank dealer the new neighbor next door had recommended. She told her to mention her name to the crank dealer and she would give her a special price.

Wendy rubbed her belly.

"I'm getting you some fun, so you can do a somersault for mommy."

Each time she said the word "mommy", she felt like vomiting and it wasn't from morning sickness or, as she renamed it, morning to morning sickness because that was how long it lasted.

She wasn't looking forward to being a mother. If she didn't think the baby would help her get Jax back, she would have sold it to some Silicon Valley infertile couple. She could buy a lot of drugs with that money.

Selling a baby wasn't disgraceful. What was disgraceful was that attorneys and adoption agencies were allowed to make a ton of money while the mother who did all the work got the least amount of money.

Wendy refused to be an organ donor because it was a rip-off. Everyone made money off the donation except the organ donor. The surgeons who remove and transplant the organs made money while donors didn't get a penny.

There should be a set amount of money paid to the donor's estate. This could really help out financially needy people. Instead it enriched health insurance companies who didn't have to pay organ donors a penny. Once again those with the least amount of money were the first ones screwed over.

Someone in rehab said that crank and crack had a stigma because there was this stereotype that the user had lower social standing than a coke user because the drugs were cheaper.

The only other thing she remembered about rehab was that it was boring. Hearing all the whining junkies made her want to either kill herself or them. The best reason not to use drugs was so you didn't have to go to rehab and listen to a bunch of idiots being introspective and discovering their damage.

Wendy returned home to shoot up. Her mother was at her boyfriend's and wouldn't be back until whenever she decided to return. It could be hours or days. It reminded her of all the good times she had growing up when she never knew when her mother was going to be home. Rehab made her understand her drug use was her mother's fault.

She was glad that she'd found a new dealer because the guy that sold in the park was disgusting. He reeked of body odor, cigarettes and urine. She was glad that she'd pawned her rings, so she didn't have to trade blow jobs for crank with him.

A lot of guys liked sex with pregnant women, she might have to sell herself a little if she couldn't figure out something else to sell.

She could forget getting money out of Jax. He had caught on that she would tell him she needed something for the baby and then take the money he gave her to use on drugs. He would then buy whatever she told him she needed for the baby. She would take it and return it or sell it to someone at a big discount. Now, he wouldn't give her money at all.

She might be able to pawn her car's spare tire or the TV in her mother's bedroom. She never watched it because she was usually passed out drunk.

If she took the TV, she would have to make it look like a break-in because her mother warned her that if she stole from her again, she was going to kick her out pregnant or not.

That might work out. She could steal everything of value and her mother would kick her out. Jax wouldn't let the mother of his unborn baby be homeless. He would have to let her move in with him. She was going to get him back.

That was another advantage to drug use. She had become really good at coming up with ways to get money. Drug use had made her more creative.

She had even read that a lot of those Silicon Valley people used LSD because it helped them make up computer games. She'd never tried LSD, but she'd tried mushrooms once.

She'd hallucinated that Jax was a giant dick and he was chasing women. Now that she thought about it some more, it might not have been a hallucination. Sometimes the lines between thought and reality got blurred.

There was just one problem about moving in with Jax. She would have to quit using. Once she finished the crank she had and the crank she was going to get from selling her mother's stuff, she would quit using.

She prepared the crank, found a vein and pushed the plunger that sent the drug coursing into her bloodstream. It was an indescribable rush. This was really good shit.

Before she could fully enjoy it, she heard someone at the door. She tiptoed silently to the door to see who was outside. She looked through the peephole in the door. It was Gemma. She wasn't opening the door to that bitch. She'd rat her out to Jax.

"I know you're in there Wendy. Your car's out front," Gemma called.

Wendy crept silently back to the kitchen and sat at the table. She shut her eyes savoring the feel of the drug in her bloodstream.

The baby did a somersault to celebrate getting crank.


	28. Chapter 28

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 28 Execute**

Her plan to kill Wendy was perfect except for one little problem—Wendy was still alive.

The next door neighbor told Wendy about the great new crank dealer and told her to mention her name for a discount. That was the signal for the dealer to give Wendy that special crank that would kill her.

The damned dealer forgot to give Wendy the special crank. It was so hard to find good henchmen or, in this case, henchwomen.

She had already taken care of the neighbor that tipped Wendy off to the great new crank dealer. It was a lot harder to dig a deep grave than it looked. That's why people dumped bodies in shallow graves and got caught.

This time when she killed, she pretended it was the blonde whore Jax had paraded around the fair. It didn't matter that the woman was really a dark haired Hispanic woman and twice the whore's age. It just took a little imagination.

Stabbing was by far her favorite way to deliver death. There was just something about sliding a knife into a body that felt so good. The only thing that would be better than stabbing and slicing someone to death was having sex with Jax. That would be the best experience in the world.

No one would come looking for this woman and no one would ever find her body. For a brief moment, she felt a little sadness that there would be no one to mourn the loss of this woman. Then she cheered herself up by remembering how good it felt to kill her.

It was just a matter of time before Wendy went back and got that special crank. In a day or two, the crank whore and that stupid baby would be dead.

Her only regret was that Wendy couldn't die bloody.


	29. Chapter 29

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 29 Fatherhood**

Jax married Wendy out of loneliness and boredom. It wasn't the best way to begin a marriage. At least he'd been honest with her. He never told her he loved her. He didn't think he would ever fall in love again and he had longed for some kind of home life.

The failure of the marriage wasn't all her fault. He'd been the one who thought she was kind of cute when she was full of meth. That changed after they got married when he discovered she wasn't using occasionally; she was using constantly. He may have been married, but with Wendy perpetually wasted, it was like being alone.

They separated after only a few months. One night she came to his house and begged for another chance. In the process of reconciling, he discovered he was out of condoms.

She told him she'd had her period the day before, so it was safe to have sex without protection. The reconciliation lasted three days and then Wendy went back to crank. It was the great love of her life.

He had been furious with her when she told him she was pregnant. She lied to him about her period and deliberately gotten pregnant hoping she could hold on to him. Instead, it only made him more determined to free himself from her.

For more than three months, there were endless manipulations over her having an abortion. He'd given her the money for an abortion. She promptly spent it all on crank. He should have known not to give a junkie money and expect her not to use it for drugs.

The next time she asked for money for an abortion, he told her he'd go with her and pay them directly. She set up and cancelled appointments a couple of times. Finally, she offered to have an abortion if he paid for the abortion and gave her a little bit extra so she could make a new start.

He did agree to pay for her to go to rehab as part of the divorce settlement. He hadn't heard from her since she'd left for rehab. He didn't know when she would be back. A big part of him hoped she would stay gone.

He was slowly warming to the idea of a baby. He was going to have to get a crib and fix up one of the spare bedrooms for the kid, but it was going to be at least two months before the birth.

He decided to give himself another month before he had to prepare for the baby's arrival. Maybe by then, he could work up more enthusiasm for fatherhood. It wasn't the kid's fault that he and Wendy weren't ready to be parents.

The kid deserved to have a decent life. He knew that Gemma would help out a lot. That came with its own set of problems. At her best, Gemma was interfering and overbearing. Fun times ahead, he thought wryly.

After he took Scarlett back to her motel, he stopped by the convenience store to get condoms, cigarettes and rolling papers. Louise, the cashier, suggested he buy condoms by the case because it would be cheaper.

He liked girls. There was nothing wrong with that, especially since he always practiced safe sex except the time with Wendy when she lied to him and gotten pregnant.

He should have known better than to trust Wendy. He had to keep reminding himself that Wendy being pregnant wasn't the baby's fault. It was equally his fault and Wendy's. The baby was completely innocent.

A brightly colored book with a little boy on the cover caught his eye. He paged through the book trying to imagine reading to his kid at bedtime. It was too much for him to wrap his head around. He put the book back.

Louise added the book to his bag. When he noticed, she told him it had been one of her favorites as a child.

Before he could pay, the night sky lit up. He ran outside and saw a fire off in the distance in the direction of the MC's gun warehouse.


	30. Chapter 30

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 30 Track**

Scarlett was having doubts about her plan to save herself by bringing down SAMCRO. She wasn't sure she had what it would take to get closer to Jax and then betray him and put him, SAMCRO and a big chunk of SOA in prison.

Before she met Jax, it hadn't bothered her that she would have to get close to a man and then betray him. It would be revenge for some of the hell men had put her through. The trouble was she hadn't expected to like him as much as she did.

She still thought it was disgusting that he'd slept with hundreds of women, but now she was justifying it. The hundreds of women had been consenting adults and he was just doing what every man wanted to do—have lots of meaningless sex with as many women as he could.

If he met the right woman, would he be faithful to her or would his need to have sex with every woman that crossed his path be too strong? Could a woman ever trust him? Why does this even matter to her?

Quit it, she told herself sternly. Thinking about Jax as anything more than a means to an end was foolish and dangerous. He knew exactly how to get a woman to sleep with him. She was more of a challenge than most, but once they had sex, she'd never see him again. He was playing her just as much as she was playing him.

Her back injury had brought out a side to him she didn't expect. He was patient, kind and gentle with her. It was behavior from an outlaw biker that she couldn't have imagined. He knew from her physical condition that she wasn't going to sleep with him, yet he continued to see her.

Damn Jax Teller. Why did he have to be so handsome, hot and charming? He thought he was irresistible. He might be right about that.

No, she was stronger than that. She needed to stay focused. There was no future for the two of them.

He drove her car to the high school and parked it near the track.

"You're worse today," Jax said as he helped her out of her car.

"Yeah. I'm stiffer and my pain level is higher. It's normal to have setbacks though."

"Maybe you shouldn't walk."

"I'll do one lap."

"I'll walk it with you to warm up."

"You're hot enough already," Scarlett said with a grin.

"It's about time you noticed," he said drily.

She liked the way he didn't take himself too seriously.

"I can't walk as fast as I did yesterday. I have to walk a lot slower."

"Great. I'll have more time to look at your beautiful face."

"Very funny," she retorted tartly.

She'd sort of combed her hair, but skipped make-up. She thought women looked silly when they wore a ton of make-up to workout.

"You should hold on to me," he said offering her his arm.

"I have a feeling no woman can hold on to you."

"My soon-to-be ex-wife would agree with you there."

"I can't believe a woman actually got you to the altar."

"I kind of hit a place in my life when I was tired of being alone. I was ready to get married; I just picked a crank addict."

"How did you not see that was going to go wrong?"

"I thought she used occasionally. It turned out she was an addict."

"I didn't think you could use crank occasionally. I thought that if you tried to use it occasionally you would end up addicted."

"You may be right there."

"So when are you going to be back on the marriage market?"

"Less than two months. Want to put in an application?" Jax asked giving her that killer grin.

Scarlett sucked in her breath. The combination of looks and charm was just an unfair advantage. How could any woman be expected to resist?

Hundreds of women, her brain chanted. He's been with _hundreds_ of women. He knows how to use his looks and words to seduce. She wasn't any different or special. It was part of the chase. He'd do and say what he needed to get her into bed.

"I'm going to have to pass on the application. I have no desire to get married. I love my freedom," Scarlett said coolly.

"How sure are you that you will never fall in love?"

"Were you in love with your almost ex?"

"No. I was in love with Tara, but that's dead and in the past."

"If you're looking for applicants, I'm sure Tara will apply. I'd bet large sums of money that she's still in love with you."

The good-natured façade dropped for a moment. Scarlett saw regret on his face.

"Unfortunately, I think you're right about Tara. I don't know whether I should just tell her bluntly that I'm not in love with her and that isn't going to change or if I should just say nothing and let her figure it out on her own. What do you think?"

"For me, I'd rather know, but I don't know which she would prefer. Are you sure that the two of you can't rekindle your love? You may think that's impossible now, but with time, that could change."

"It isn't that I don't love her. I just don't have any feelings for her."

"You don't have to make a forever decision immediately. You've got two whole months before you can get married again legally. I don't think you're going to have a shortage of eager women wanting to take you off the marriage market."

"I'm hoping to upgrade the applicant pool this time around."

Scarlett wrapped her arms around her middle as she laughed.

"I hate it when you make me laugh. It pulls the muscles and hurts."

"You shouldn't laugh at me," Jax said and then he laughed.

He helped her move from a standing to a sitting position so she could sit on the bench while he ran. A dozen people were running around the track. Jax set out beginning slowly building his pace as he ran and then slowing down when he ran the final couple of laps.

"What are your plans for the day?" Jax asked as he drove them back to her motel.

"Take a hot shower, take some medication and sleep. I'm hoping that will help calm the muscles. I also plan on calling some property rental places and get an idea of what commercial rents run here. What about your day?"

"A hard day fixing bikes and cars," Jax said. "It might be a long and crazy day. I should come by this evening and take you for a walk, so you can stretch out your muscles before you go to sleep."

Scarlett was surprised by his thoughtfulness again. He was pretty sweet and kind. Damn him and damn her if she fell for his smooth seduction routine. She should know better especially after all she had been through.

"Just call first to make sure I'm in my room. I think I'll just send out for pizza, but I might walk to the diner for food. I tend to eat at odd times."

"That works for me because I work at odd times."

As he helped her out of the car, she clenched her teeth to keep from groaning at the additional pain that getting out of the car caused.

"I swear I'm getting rid of this car. It's so hard to get in and out of."

"You do look incredibly hot getting in and out of the car."

"Very not funny. I know I look like a ninety year old lady with the way I move."

"Hottest ninety year old woman in the world," Jax said laughing.

"Damn you, Jax," she said. "Quit making me laugh."

"OK. I won't make you laugh anymore."

She slid her room card into the door, opened it a couple of inches and wedged her foot into it so it wouldn't shut.

"How about I scare you instead?" Jax suggested, his voice husky and sexy.

"How are you going to scare me?"

"I can scare you with one word."

"Tell me."

"Loofah."

Scarlett laughed and groaned.

"Damn you, Jax Teller. I told you to quit making me laugh."


	31. Chapter 31

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 31 Lucky**

Since she had gotten back from rehab, everything was so much better. Her mother thought she was clean, so she was letting her stay in her trailer while she went to Vegas for three days with her boyfriend. She'd even left her money for food. She might not even need to steal any of her mother's stuff to buy crank.

When she was high yesterday, she'd come up with a foolproof way to get Jax back. She just couldn't remember what it was anymore. Next time she came up with a great idea, she was going to write it down. When she was on crank, she came up with so many great ideas.

The new crank dealer was amazing. High quality at a low price. It just didn't get any better and then it did! The dealer gave her a thumb bag with a small skull and cross bones sticker on it. She wanted her to try this new crank.

It was mixed with a tiny amount of a new synthetic hallucinogenic drug that gave the user only good trips. The dealer said it was going to be the next big drug. And—this was the really great part— _she gave her the bag for free!_

Wendy had a really big decision to make. Should she use the free bag of crank first or last? Wendy grinned. This was the kind of problem she didn't mind.

Wendy thought about her future. She would use the crank she'd bought with the money her mother left her for food. Get clean for a couple of days and then get back together with Jax.

Her life was going to go perfect.


	32. Chapter 32

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 32 Relationship**

With his wide experience with women, Jax thought he had been with just about every type of woman imaginable until he met Scarlett. He couldn't figure her out.

Each time he saw her the mystery deepened. One moment she was flirtatious and the next she acted like a buddy. He didn't get it. He wondered what was going inside her brain. What did she want out of their relationship?

Wait a minute. What the hell had just happened? He was thinking about Scarlett and now he was wondering what she wanted out or their relationship. What relationship?

At most, he and Scarlett had a friendship. He'd never been friends with a woman before, well, except Tara.

He and Tara had been friends first, but a lot of that was their ages. They had only been sixteen and he took things slow with her. Falling in love with Tara had been an amazing, unforgettable experience.

Everyone assumed that he and Tara broke up because she left town to go to college. It wasn't true. They had broken up because they didn't fit together anymore. It was something that evolved over time until, at the end; there were endless fights over the smallest things. The relationship had just run its course. She left town _because_ their relationship was over.

It had been easier to let everyone believe they split up because she wanted to go to college. He didn't want to look like a whiney little bitch and expose all their problems. He'd done the honorable thing and never said a bad word about Tara.

When he saw her the previous day, all the terrible parts of their relationship came flooding back as he listened to her bragging about college and her surgery career. She hadn't asked him a single question about his life. She was still as self-involved as she had been at nineteen.

There was just emptiness where his love for her used to be. It didn't make him feel sad. He didn't feel anything. He was free of any hold she had on his heart. That freedom did make him happy.

Scarlett was probably right; he should tell Tara that there was no chance of a future for them. Like most men though, he hated emotional discussions. He would give it some time and see what Tara did next.

Scarlett was taking up all the space in his head. It felt like he thought of her constantly, yet he never got tired of thinking about her. He couldn't believe that he'd met a woman that he enjoyed spending time with despite knowing that it wasn't going to lead to sex.

Maybe he was getting old or he just needed to bang more crow-eaters. What he was experiencing with Scarlett couldn't be normal, but he had no intention of not seeing her again. Thinking about her made him smile. Now, he was starting to sound like a stupid, sappy loser.

Just about anything was better than thinking about Wendy. A crow-eater who worked at a pawn shop stopped by the clubhouse to tell him that his soon-to-be ex had pawned her engagement and wedding rings. He knew that not only was Wendy back in town, she was using again. It wasn't the first time she'd pawned the rings for crank. This time, he wasn't going to redeem them for her.

He had wired the money to a rehab place in Arizona because he knew if he'd given her money, she would have blown it all on crank. If she didn't go to rehab, the facility was supposed to refund him the money. He wanted that provision because he knew Wendy would get a refund and then use until she ran out of money.

He was going to have to track her down. She couldn't use while she was pregnant. The kid was going to come out all kinds of screwed up. Having Wendy for a mother would be enough of a challenge for any kid. He wasn't sure what kind of father was going to make either. No wonder he preferred to think about Scarlett.

On top of everything, there was drama with the club. The Mayans stole the guns from their warehouse and torched it. He and Chibs were trying to figure out where the Mayans had stored their guns. They had to get them back because the Niners had bought and paid for them.

Jax called Gemma and asked her to track down Wendy before she did anymore damage to their unborn baby. When he found her, he was going to flush all her crank. At least, he could keep some of it from harming the baby.


	33. Chapter 33

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 33 Poison**

Wendy now had the tainted crank. It was only a matter of time before she used it. Maybe a day. Two at the most.

As soon as Wendy was dead, the dealer would also die from the same tainted crank. She would make sure that she left an empty thumb bag with the same little skull and crossbones sticker that Wendy had on the bag the dealer gave her.

That would wrap up things perfectly. The dealer dead from the same tainted crank that killed Wendy and that stupid baby. No loose ends and nothing to tie her to the deaths.

Jax would have the ending he needed and she would have the ending she had planned so carefully.

She regretted that Wendy couldn't die bloody, but sometimes the victim had to be killed with a more subtle killing method.

She would get what she ultimately wanted—a world without Wendy and that baby. She could hardly wait for the funeral.


	34. Chapter 34

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 34 Cry**

The meaning of life suddenly slammed into focus for Wendy. She needed to share her revelations with the world. Her mother had hidden her laptop computer to keep her from pawning it, so she couldn't share her revelations immediately by posting them on the internet. She would have to write them down for now.

She wrote:

Only worry about the now. Don't worry about the future because the future will become the now.

The more she looked at the words she'd written on the palm of her hand, the more she was convinced she'd made a breakthrough that would change the world.

If she could think this brilliantly without the brain boost of crank, imagine the amazing things she could come up after a little crank.

She looked at the crank thumb bag with the skull and cross bones on it. It reminded her of Jax. She sank to the floor of the living room and began to cry.

When she married Jax, she thought that with a little time he would fall in love with her. She would tell him she loved him. He never said it back to her. That was all she had wanted—to hear him tell her he loved her.

It seemed the harder she tried to be the perfect wife, the more she failed. She had made an elaborate dinner of pot roast, mashed potatoes with gravy, green beans with caramelized onions and an lemon meringue pie for dessert. It had taken her hours.

She had to look up all the recipes and make a grocery list. The cooking took her all day because she didn't know how to cook or even use a knife. She took a couple of shortcuts, but for the most part, she followed the recipes.

Jax called her and told her he was going to be a couple of hours late. She wasn't sure how to keep the food warm, so she just left it on the stove cooking.

By the time Jax got home, the pot roast was bone dry, the mashed potatoes burned and the green beans had the texture of baby food. She hoped that she could redeem herself with dessert. The pie crust was thick and tough as a boot. The lemon filling was a puddle and she hadn't been able to get the meringue to whip up.

She tried again to cook with similar disastrous results. Finally, she'd gone to Gemma to ask for her help. Her new mother-in-law wasn't helpful. She was scornful and impatient with her.

Wendy believed Gemma didn't want to help her because she didn't want her marriage to Jax to work. Gemma had never liked her. She didn't like Gemma either, so she wasn't heartbroken that her new mother-in-law didn't care about her.

As she continued to try to cook and do what television told her the perfect wife could do, the more she failed. After awhile, she quit trying. Crank provided solace. It made her feel good about herself.

Wendy went with her back up plan. She was just going to be herself. She hoped that somehow that would be enough to get Jax to fall in love with her. She wasn't surprised when this plan failed. She hadn't really expected it to work.

No man had ever loved her. Plenty of men had said the words, but they didn't mean it. It was just to get her into bed.

Wendy wondered if she had some defect inside that kept men from falling in love with her. She was pretty and had a good body. She could easily attract men. The problem was they didn't stay around for long.

The brutal truth was no one had ever loved her from her mother to her husband. No love for Wendy. That was what should be on her tombstone.

She began crying again, big body shaking sobs.


	35. Chapter 35

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 35 Loop**

For the last day or so, Tara's mind had been stuck in a loop endlessly reliving every single second of the less than three minute meeting she'd had with Jax. Her journey into her own personal shit show began when she arrogantly corrected Jax when he introduced her to Scarlett.

She knew exactly why she'd corrected him; she wanted Scarlett to know that she was smarter. Scarlett might have her beat in the looks and body areas, but she had the lead in intelligence.

When she rehashed every single thing that Jax said, she realized he hadn't said much because she hadn't asked him anything. Once she saw him watching Scarlett, she lost it. She did what she did when she was nervous; she opened her mouth and vomited information about herself without thinking.

She thought that she'd outgrown this habit. It turned out it wasn't a habit; it was a reflex and she just reacted. She had no one to blame except herself. No wonder Jax had seemed cold.

She was trying so hard to be a better version of herself, but her nerves had gotten the better of her. She knew she must have come off as self-centered and only interested in bragging about her accomplishments.

Well done, she told herself. She had given Jax the worst impression possible. No wonder he hadn't shown any interest in her and he would prefer to look at the beautiful and sexy Scarlett.

Tara hoped that Scarlett would decide the business climate in Charming wasn't right and leave town. There was more than enough competition for Jax's heart without her.

Her feelings for Jax were still mixed up. She wasn't sure if she loved him or not. She saw him for three minutes after ten years. It made sense that she would need a little more time to figure things out. Maybe he needed some time to figure things out on his end too.

Her plan to use her car as a way in to see Jax wasn't a great plan. It would be at most a way to see him when she brought the car and again when she picked it up. It would also look obvious.

Even worse, she almost certainly would run into Gemma. Gemma hated her from the moment she met her. She would never like any woman that Jax might love. She had a sick need to be the only woman in her son's heart.

She might not know whether or not she was in love with the Jax of now, but she was positive that she hated the Gemma of today. That woman would never change because she thought she was perfect.

What she needed was some way that she could see Jax over a span of a couple of weeks. They could get reacquainted and she could make up for that disastrous meeting at the fair.

She needed to come up with a plan soon or this Scarlett slut might get her hooks into Jax so deeply, Jax wouldn't want to get away.


	36. Chapter 36

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 36 Hide**

Wendy remembered that Gemma pounded on her door yesterday and said she knew she was inside. She'd been ignoring Jax's calls. If he or Gemma wanted to get a hold of her bad enough, she wouldn't put it past them to break a window to get in.

She decided to hide. She didn't want a repeat of yesterday. She moved her car to a visitor's parking area. It wasn't on the route in or out of the trailer park, so Gemma or Jax wouldn't see her car unless they drove through the park looking for it. They would think that no car at the trailer meant no Wendy.

While Wendy was walking back to her mom's trailer, she was rubbing her belly. Each time she touched her stomach, she hoped that she would feel some maternal bond, but she felt nothing except disgust that her skin was so stretched out.

The baby was over by her ribs and it made her uncomfortable. The baby kicked her and she slapped her stomach. Damn baby. The slap had been a reflex. She knew the baby couldn't feel it.

She hated being pregnant. She felt like some barnyard animal. When she was in high school she read a historical romance and the heroine referred to being pregnant as "breeding". It was gross.

It was the only book she ever remembered from high school and it hadn't even been an assigned book. She'd read it because she thought reading might be fun. It wasn't and that was the last time she thought about reading anything that wasn't sold at the check out stand at the grocery store.

If she could turn back time, she would never have tried crank. The high was crazy amazing, but the low was hell. That's the way it always was with drugs though. Good times when they are inside you and bad times when they wear off.

In rehab, they had given out phone numbers to call if you were thinking about using and they told them they should go to a Narcotics Anonymous meetings. She had more than enough meetings during group sessions at rehab.

She wasn't like all those other losers in rehab with all their endless bitching and self-pity. One day when all the sob stories grated on her nerves until she couldn't stand it anymore, she actually stood up and yelled "shut the fuck up and quit bitching. No one gives a shit about your issues and whether or not you find your fucking authentic self."

It was her favorite day at rehab. Everyone stared at her with their mouths open in shock. Fucking sheep. Rehab had a bunch of empty phrases and concepts to hide the fact that rehab was just a scam to make money. There success rates were around 5%. Who buys something when there's a 95% chance it won't work? Fuck rehab.

She would quit drugs on her own. She would show that fucking stupid rehab that she was better at rehab than their program full of shit phrases and empty concepts.

After these two bags, she was starting a new life. She decided to start with the skull and cross bones bag first.


	37. Chapter 37

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 37 Icy**

Scarlett forced herself to admit to a terrifying truth—she might not be icy and defective. When she thought about Jax, she thought about sex.

She wasn't just thinking about sex, of course. She was thinking about sex with Jax. Her back injury was the best thing that had ever happened to her in a long time. It was preventing her from doing something she would regret.

It probably wouldn't be that wonderful anyway. Jax couldn't be as great as he believed. Sleeping with hundreds of women didn't require sexual skill. It took charm, charisma, sex appeal, a hot body, blonde hair and sky blue eyes. She shook her head over those last few words. Her thinking had gone wrong a little bit there.

She remembered what he'd done to her after she'd smeared lipstick on his beard. He had wrapped an arm around her and rubbed his beard along her neck just barely touching her, but he had awakened her body. When he brushed his lips along her neck, she melted inside. At that moment, if her back hadn't made it too painful, she would have let him do anything he wanted to her. How the hell could she be this weak?

Oh, fucking hell, she thought. This could not be happening to her. She could not be falling for Jax Teller. She reminded herself that she didn't fall in love. She didn't believe in love. It was not going to happen to her. It wasn't part of her plan.

Damn you, Jax Teller.


	38. Chapter 38

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 38 Broken**

Wendy knew what no one in rehab would ever admit—some people were born to be junkies and there was no getting around it. Having parents and grandparents who were alcoholics wasn't a coincidence. If she had understood how her family history made her more vulnerable to substance abuse, she might have made different choices with her life. Or if she hadn't had parents whose main priority in life was alcohol, she could have had a different life too.

She never had the kind of mother who made sure she had lunch money or made her a lunch. Her mother never asked if she did her homework and never went to PTA or PTSA or whatever the hell it was called.

Wendy skated through school solidly in the bottom half of every class. She did enough to pass a class, but never more. Finally, she got tired of making even that much effort and she quit mid-way through her sophomore year.

Her parents split before she was a year old. She rarely saw her father and had never seen him when he wasn't drunk. When she was eight, he was so drunk he could barely walk. That hadn't stopped him from attempting to cross the freeway. The high speed impact and the other cars that hit his body left him in meaty chunks and backed up traffic for five miles. When she thought of her father, she always thought of dog food.

Her mother always had a boyfriend of some kind living with them. One of them taught her how to shoot up and when her mother wasn't around, he taught her other things. She threw her out of the house when she found her in bed with him. It didn't matter that she was fifteen. She kept her boyfriend and threw her out like she was rotten food.

Wendy lived with a friend's family for a few months until her mother finally let her move back in. She had finally thrown out that boyfriend when she found him cheating too many times with best friend.

Wendy worked odd jobs here and there and lived with men because she never could earn enough to support herself. Eventually, she found a job in a factory making candy. She didn't mind the repetition of the job and she liked having a regular pay check. She found a friend at the factory and they moved into an apartment together. It was the first time Wendy hadn't depended on a man to put a roof over her head.

Her roommate's boyfriend was a friend of Chibs in SAMCRO and one Friday night, they went to the clubhouse. Wendy thought she'd gone to adult Disneyland. Some of the men were better looking than the others, but most of them had a hard tough look that she found irresistible. She was looking forward to riding them just like a ride in Disneyland, but more roller coaster and much less "It's a Small World".

Two weeks later, she'd been drinking and smoking a joint when a blonde god of a man walked into the clubhouse. The women flocked to him, draping themselves all over him competing with each other for his attention.

That was where her experience paid off. She continued talking to a club hang around named George and pretended not to notice him. It took him more than an hour, but he finally worked his way over to her.

When he introduced himself and called her darlin', she fell in love with him just like that. They had only known each other a few months when they got married. She thought that meant that Jax was madly in love with her and wanted to make her his as quickly as possible despite the fact he never told her he loved her.

She expected that Jax would tell her he loved her soon. As time went on and it didn't happen, she became more and more insecure. Anytime he was late, she would accuse him of cheating. She would scream at him. He tried to calm her down. After a dozen times or so, he would just leave and stay gone for a couple of days.

He would always claim that he'd slept at the clubhouse, but there was no way he could prove that. The MC was a brotherhood and as a brotherhood, lying to wives and girlfriends was routine.

She liked to use crank with sex. As things worsened with Jax, she used it to make herself feel better. Before long, crank was the only thing that made life worth living. When Jax filed for divorce, crank was there to take some of the sting out.

She tried to remember what she had been thinking about before she ended up thinking about Jax. It took her almost a minute before she remembered she had been thinking about her mother.

Her mother had done a lot of bad shit to her and caused a lot of bad shit to happen to her. Tomorrow, she was going to pawn every single thing of value in this shit hole and she wasn't going to feel guilty.

She would spend the money she got from the pawn shop to do one last farewell binge of crank and then she was going to go to Jax's house. He would have to take her in. She was pregnant. He couldn't let her be homeless even though he wasn't happy about the baby.

That was one thing they had in common—neither one wanted this baby. She frequently wished she'd had an abortion, but as long as there was even the slightest chance she could get Jax back by having this baby, she was going to give birth.

She rubbed her belly. Now, she was bringing into the world a baby who would be born addicted if she couldn't get clean. Even if she got clean, her addict genes would be passed on.

Her kid was going to be a drunk or a junkie. Maybe both. The baby would go on to have alcoholics or junkies for kids. What a proud lineage that was going to be. Her family coat of arms could be a bottle of booze and a syringe.

She began to think about how there would be no love for her. Maybe the baby was her chance at love. It wasn't just about getting Jax back. The baby would love her because it wouldn't know any better. It was automatic.

For the first time since she'd returned from rehab, she felt optimism. Once she finished her crank and the crank she was going to buy when she pawned her mother's stuff, she was going to quit using and read a book on how to be a mother. She might even get a library card if they still had them.

Just as she was about to begin preparing the crank in the thumb bag with the skull and cross bones on it, she discovered that the needle was broken. She didn't have a spare.

This wasn't a big problem. Lois who lived three doors down was a diabetic. She was the best place to score syringes and hypodermic needles. Wendy checked the time on her phone. Lois would be home from work now.

She stuffed the crank into a pocket of her jeans and headed over to Lois' with a joint. That was Lois' going rate for a new syringe and a couple of hypodermic needles.

And then soon, the amazing new crank mixed with a hallucinogenic would be shooting through her bloodstream and the baby would be doing somersaults of happiness.


	39. Chapter 39

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 39 Seek**

Between the MC's contacts and Gemma, it hadn't taken long before he learned Wendy was staying with her mother. Jax rode by her mother's mobile home and noticed Wendy's car wasn't parked on the grass.

He combed through the park until he found her car. Stupid junkie, he thought shaking his head. He'd caught on to her hiding her car in the visitor's parking area a year ago.

He rode back to her mother's trailer and parked. He knocked despite his doubt that she would open the door to him. He called her name. No reply. He tried the door knob and discovered it wasn't locked.

That was another typical Wendy move. She left doors unlocked. How the hell could he have married a woman who didn't have even this basic life skill?

He had spent far more time wondering why the hell he married Wendy than he had making the decision to marry her. He blamed her, but he had been the one to propose. It was his fault. Time to own up to his mistakes.

He had trusted her when she told him she'd just had her period the day before so it would be safe to have sex without a condom. He knew she was a junkie and she had lied to him in the past. It was convenient to believe her because he wanted to have sex and he was out of condoms. He definitely hadn't been thinking with his brain.

This was the price for both those terrible decisions. He was having a baby he didn't want with a woman he married and didn't love. He wasn't some acned high schooler. He was old enough to know better.

Hell, even in high school, he knew better than to have sex with a girl without using protection. Tara was the exception. She handled birth control. He trusted her and there had never been any slip-ups or late periods. It wasn't a romantic thing to say, but Tara was reliable. He could depend on her.

"Wendy," Jax called. He walked through the house noting that the TVs and DVD players were still there. Wendy hadn't pawned them yet. That was a good sign.

Could Wendy actually have gotten clean at rehab? Maybe pawning the rings had been more about moving on and not about using. They may not have been married long, but he knew her too well to believe she hadn't relapsed.

He hadn't found any drugs, but he did find her broken needle and syringe in the trash. It was possible she'd broken the needle to keep herself from using it. Not likely. More likely, she'd broken it when she was trying to use it.

He looked around for a piece of paper to leave her a note. He finally found a piece of paper near the phone and a little stub of a pencil. He just wrote "CALL ME" in all capital letters and his name. He left it on top of the TV remote. He hoped this personal touch would spur her to call him.

He couldn't wait around for her. He and Chibs found where the Mayans were storing the guns they had stolen from them. They were going to get them back plus a little extra payback. They were going to blow up the warehouse.


	40. Chapter 40

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 40 Precision**

Jax shoved all thoughts of Wendy out of his head. He'd had plenty of practice with that.

Getting all thoughts of Scarlett out of his head was going to be more difficult because thinking about her was so pleasurable. He was surprised to find that he was enjoying this chase.

He'd never chased a woman so long, except Tara. It had taken them awhile to get together, but that was high school. Relationships at that age developed at a slower pace.

That was a crock pot relationship. Today relationships moved with the speed of a microwave. He'd heard a comedian make that comment on some TV program. Wendy always had the TV on. She couldn't stand silence. It was another thing he didn't know about her until after he married her.

No more thinking about girls. He had important thinking to do. They had to be tight and organized. Get in. Get out. Get the guns. Blow up a building.

He had actually convinced Clay that they shouldn't take the bikes. They were noisy and people tended to remember a group of motorcycles driving past. They needed a truck to transport the guns anyway.

They borrowed a truck from Unser's trucking business. The soon to return from medical leave Charming police chief Wayne Unser had a trucking business on the side. SAMCRO usually provided protection when expensive cargo was being moved.

There was a surprising amount of hijacking that occurred and an escort of outlaw bikers discouraged even the most determined hijackers because the hijackers knew the bikers had guns and would use them. That's where the outlaw part came in.

Jax and Chibs scouted the place earlier and discovered that it had only one way in and out. They would cut the chain and bring the van in. They would find and immobilize the guards, locate the weapons and call Happy. He was down from Tacoma and was a proficient truck driver.

They would load the truck and Happy would drive the truck to the Wahewa Indian reservation. Clay made a deal with them to rent a ramshackle building on the reservation's perimeter.

The club had begun to be smarter about cell phone usage and pinging phones. When they did a job, personal phones were left at the clubhouse. Disposable cell phones would be used exclusively tonight until they got back to the clubhouse.

"Military precision," Clay said from the van's driver's seat.

The van stopped at the chained together gates of the chain length fence. Juice and Tig jumped out to cut the chain. The van went through the gate, lights off. Jax and Chibs jumped out with their guns drawn, silencers screwed to the end of their weapons. Tig and Juice took the north while Jax and Chibs took the south. Once the guards were taken care of, Juice would watch the gate for unexpected guests. Clay and Bobby would check out the warehouse and Bobby would wire it to explode.

Jax didn't like wearing boots. They were clunky and he liked to be able to move silently. He could never convince any of the other guys of the superiority to sneakers over motorcycle boots. Tradition and Clay were hard to change.

He came up on the guard and had his gun to the back of the man's head before the guard heard a thing. The guy was wearing headphones and listening to classic 80's hard rock. Chibs closed in from the front.

Jax pulled the headphones off the guard and dropped them to the ground.

"Never use headphones on guard duty," Chibs said.

The guy shook his head and spoke Spanish.

"This asshole doesn't speak English," Jax said. "Let's fill him full of holes and move on."

"We're trying for no dead bodies. If he tells us what we want to know, we zip tie and duct tape him," Chibs said. He reached into the pocket of his hoodie and pulled out a roll of duct tape and zip ties.

This was Jax and Chibs version of the good cop/bad cop interplay. Jax was playing bad cop because he won the coin toss in the van. Bad cop was always more fun to play.

"Fine," Jax shoved the guy towards Chibs. "How many?"

"Just me," the man said in perfect English with a touch of a Cajun drawl.

"Where are the guns?" Chibs asked.

"In the warehouse."

"Zip tie him," Chibs said.

"I think he's lying," Jax said. "Look you son of a bitch, if I find another guard, I'm going to come back and shoot you in the gut. You'll die slowly in agony."

"There's another guard in the warehouse," the man said quickly. "He's usually in the back where there's a little kitchen."

Jax zip tied the man's hands and duct taped him from the knees to the ankles.

"Anything else we need to know?" Chibs asked.

"Remember, you lie, you die," Jax said. He fixed the man with a look that Tara said always scared the hell out of her. It was cold without a shred of emotion or human decency in it.

"Truth," the man said quickly. "Don't want to die. I have kids."

"Good choice," Chibs said.

Jax wound duct tape over the man's mouth and head.

"I'm going to be nice and not duct tape your eyes shut. I'm going to shove you into this bush. You stay there until we leave. If I see you again, I _will_ kill you."

The man nodded again.

Chibs had already sent a text to Clay alerting him to the guard's presence in the warehouse.

"Live to fight another day, my friend," Chibs said.

Jax shoved the man into a bush against the rear of the warehouse. Juice moved into position to watch the gate. Tig, Chibs and Jax joined Bobby and Clay in the warehouse.

"Guard?" Jax asked.

"Tied up," Clay said impatiently.

"Where?" Jax asked.

"In a closet. He won't die in the explosion," Bobby said.

"Good," Jax said. This was what he liked. A simple kill free job.


	41. Chapter 41

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 41 Struggle**

Wendy was irritated. Lois kept talking and telling her about her daughter's problems with her ex-husband. She didn't need to hear about anyone's ex-husband drama. She had her own.

She wanted that syringe and a couple of needles. That meant that she had to listen to Lois ramble for fifteen minutes before she finally had a chance to get down to business and trade a joint for a syringe and needles.

It took another five minutes of listening to Lois complain about her diabetes before Wendy got her needles and syringe and was on her way.

As soon as she walked into her mother's place, she reached for the TV remote. She saw the note. Damn. If she hadn't gotten stuck listening to Lois, she would have seen Jax. Listening to Lois had put her in a terrible mood.

The note was typical Jax. A command to call him. No "please" and "no thanks". Ordering people around might work in the MC, but in the world outside SAMCRO, ordering people around didn't work so well especially when it came to her. She hated it when Jax told her what to do.

"Fuck you, Jax Teller," Wendy said, scowling at the note. "I don't have to do what the hell you say."

This wasn't the first time she'd said the words. Their marriage had been made south of Heaven. It felt normal to her because her mother always had screaming fights with her boyfriends. She thought that was what a relationship was supposed to look and sound like.

When he told her that he only married her because he was lonely, she told him he should have gotten a dog. It was her best ever comeback. She left then. There wasn't anything left to say. It was just legal paperwork after that. Until she had to tell him about the baby.

She played it all wrong to start with when she attempted to seduce him. She thought after sex, she would sweetly whisper the news. He would be blissed out from sex and maybe a little weed and he wouldn't go nuclear about the baby.

Somehow it all went wrong. _He had actually turned her down for sex._ He hurt her feelings and the news about the baby came out in a torrent of angry words. He got angry back and it just went downhill fast from there.

Looking back now, Wendy could see it was mostly—no—make that almost all Jax's fault that the news about the baby had gone so badly because he accused her of deliberately getting pregnant. The baby had really been an accident.

She decided to talk to Jax before she shot up. She would tell him they could meet next week to figure out things about the baby. That should keep him from hunting her down and catching her using crank. A week would give her enough time to clean up.

She called Jax's cell, got voice mail and ended the call without leaving a message. She watched a car chase on TV momentarily distracted from her desire for crank.

Rehab had accomplished something; it made her feel guilty when she used crank. She learned all about how it messed up her brain chemistry, which was one of the reasons it was so addictive.

This was the hamster wheel of hell, she thought. When she thought about her use of crank, she felt bad. The only way to feel good again was to use crank. It was an endless loop of highs and lows and guilt and surrender.

If she could wait two hours before she used crank, that would prove that she wasn't an addict. She was just an enthusiastic user. Instead of getting clean, she could just pretend to Jax that she was clean. Why should she have to give up her only source of fun?

Fuck you, Jax Teller and she didn't mean that in a sexual way.


	42. Chapter 42

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 42 Incoming**

Happy drove the truck from Unser's through the open gates and into a small loading area. They began loading the weapons the Mayans had stolen from them into the truck. They were also planning on taking everything else in the warehouse including some piñatas because they were stuffed with weed.

They were two boxes short of having the Mayans' warehouse empty when Juice sent a text message warning of incoming Mayans consisting of three bikes and a pick-up truck with a driver. Juice was told to stay in position. Clay sent Jax, Tig and Chibs to handle the threat.

Dealing with the incoming Mayans couldn't be done as gently as Jax had handled the guard. The second these guys saw them, they would shoot. SAMCRO had to shoot first. They couldn't be picky about shot placement. It was shoot to remove the threat. Killing was the usual result.

Tig sprayed the pick-up truck with automatic weapon's fire and Jax and Chibs shot the three men on bikes with their handguns. Simple and easy.

It was part of what Clay liked to call the military mindset. Kill the enemy and move on. It was never a person. It was the enemy or a Mayan or a target. Both sides knew the risks and danger.

At least Clay would be happy. He insisted that if another gang stole from them, there be someone killed. It didn't matter to Clay that no one in SAMCRO had been killed in the theft. It was about sending a message. They were sending a four body count message.

Jax had lost track of the number of people he'd killed. He preferred to avoid killing, but it couldn't always be avoided and the basic rule was better to kill an enemy than get a brother hurt.

It was in moments of violence that Jax loved the surge of adrenalin. He never felt more alive than when he had to face danger. It was as addictive as any drug, but it was also why he feared that one day he would like that feeling too much and it would lead him on a dark, destructive path that would turn him into a monster.


	43. Chapter 43

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 43 Cranked**

Wendy continued rocking back and forth as she watched time creep by. This was ridiculous. She didn't have to prove anything to anyone. If she wanted to use crank, it was her choice. It didn't mean she was an addict.

An hour had gone by. That proved she could choose when she took crank. She was in control of it. It wasn't in control of her.

Fuck those assholes at rehab and all their stupid finding your authentic selves bull shit. Mind control morons with all their twelve step bull shit. Nothing more than con artists.

Wendy smiled as the needle punctured her skin. That burning sensation was unusual. She didn't like that. The baby didn't like it either. No somersaults this time. Only hard kicking. Something was wrong.

It would be OK in a minute. She took a couple of calming breaths. She felt like she was on fire. For a few seconds, she thought about calling for help, but she decided to ride it out. The high was around the corner. Just a few seconds longer and the high would kick in. At least the damned baby had finally quit kicking her.

Wendy felt herself slide off the chair into darkness.


	44. Chapter 44

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 44 Walked**

"Say it," Jax demanded.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Scarlett said sounding bewildered.

"Since I showed up at your motel room, you look at me like there's something you find funny," Jax said.

When Jax called Scarlett and she told him she was about to order pizza, he suggested they could go out and get hamburgers together instead. Scarlett agreed. She was getting tired of eating pizza in her room. The smell was starting to get to her too.

After eating cheese burgers and sharing onion rings and French fries, they took Scarlett's car to the small lake they had visited previously and began walking on the path around it.

"Maybe I just enjoy your company," Scarlett said with suspicious sweetness.

"Any other girl, I'd believe that. Not you. What the hell is so funny about me?"

"The man bun. It's just so cute, I can hardly stand it."

Jax let go of her elbow and turned to face her.

"I took a shower and washed my hair. After I washed it, I stuck it in a ponytail and tucked the ends in. It isn't a bun."

"OK," Scarlett said, grinning at him.

"It isn't a bun," Jax said with an edge in his voice.

"I said OK," Scarlett said. Her smiled widened until she broke into laughter. She quickly wrapped her arms around her stomach to lessen the muscle pull pain she experienced when she laughed.

Jax shook his head and started laughing.

In these small moments, Scarlett could feel that emotional wall she kept around her heart to keep her safe start to crumble. She had to get close to him, but she needed to keep control of her emotions.

"Any hope you had of talking me out of loofahing you with my beard is permanently gone."

"Just because I made an observation about your hair?"

"No, that's not the reason. I just wanted to remind you what your future holds."

He was standing near one of the lights that dotted the walking path around the lake. The light made his hair the color of moonlight and his blue eyes were shining with mischief and humor.

She reminded herself that he had been with hundreds of women maybe even more. She was just a challenge to him. She threw some mental cold water on herself and found her balance again. She was playing him. This was her game, not his.

"Well, you might want to start washing your beard and using hair conditioner on it. I have delicate skin."

Jax began laughing again.

"We are going to have so much fun together. When we get back to your room, I could remind you how my beard felt on the back of your neck."

For a moment, Scarlett thought she might have forgotten how to breathe because she felt breathless. She remembered in too much detail how it felt when he was standing behind her with his arm around her and he brushed his beard along her neck followed by his lips. Her body almost burst into flames.

"Hair conditioner or maybe you could man bun your beard."

"Man bun my beard?" Jax asked. "Really? Do you remember what I told you about a shower?" there was a note of threat in his silky voice.

"You said you took one."

"No, I was thinking of that option about taking a shower with me and I could dry you with my tongue."

"Are you going to threaten me with that now?" she asked grinning.

"No. If you say man bun one more time, I will do that too you when we get back to your room. That's a promise."

She looked at him with wide green eyes. She was weighing whether or not he was really going to do the tongue thing to her. He could be serious. She decided to back track a little.

"Fine. I won't say it again unless I accidentally slip and say it. There's nothing wrong with . . . that sort of hair style. Most men couldn't pull it off."

Jax took Scarlett's elbow and they continued their walk around the lake.

"Remember this morning when I was telling you about my soon to be ex?"

"It was only this morning."

"I left out a detail. She's pregnant."

"Congratulations."

"Yeah, I haven't exactly been enthusiastic about it. She told me she had her period the day before so it was a safe time."

"You think she was lying?"

"I think she wanted to get pregnant hoping that would keep us together."

"Babies put stress on relationships. It usually doesn't bring couples together. It's also the same when a couple faces some kind of challenge with a serious illness or something major. They may become closer, but typically it ends up ripping the couple apart long term. Sorry. I don't mean to come off as knowing everything. I did a report in my psychology class in college on the subject."

"She's going to be a really terrible mother."

"You'll have to be a great father then."

"I'm not sure if I have it in me."

"Find it then," Scarlett said firmly in a no nonsense voice. "This baby deserves at least one decent parent. It isn't about you anymore. You lost that when she got pregnant. You also picked her."

"You are ruthless, but you're right. I don't have a choice. It's about time I faced reality."

"I feel like I've been useful today."

"I am also rescinding the ban on you saying man bun in a spirit of good will."

"Whew! What a relief! I've been shaking in my shoes worrying that I would say it accidentally. Is the ban also rescinded if I use it to describe your hair?"

"Scarlett . . ."

Scarlett laughed.

"It's so cute when you try to scare me."

"Just wait."

They returned to Scarlett's motel room. Her room was more of a suite. It was the nicest motel in Charming. It had a small mini kitchen and table and a seating area.

"You have motivated me. I'm going to go talk to my ex. This late hour should help me catch her at her mother's."

"It's been a productive day for me."

Jax watched her for a few seconds. Scarlett's brain was trying to tell her to walk away from him, but her body stayed rooted to the spot. She wanted him to kiss her. All she wanted was a kiss.

He leaned in and kissed her softly and gently. Scarlett moved closer to him, so she was almost standing on top of him.

He lifted his head and took a step back.

"You've been great for my self-control," Jax said with that cocky Jax Teller grin.


	45. Chapter 45

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 45 Watched**

She was standing at the windows hoping to catch a glimpse of Jax walking around the lake. Just as she was about to give it up for the night and watch a movie she'd rented about King Arthur because the actor playing the lead reminded her a little of Jax, she saw him. He was with that blonde whore again.

That blonde whore could still barely walk. A toddler could walk faster and better. There was a rumor floating around that she had gotten hurt having sex with Jax. That was exactly what she suspected. Jax was just with her because he felt guilty that he'd messed her up physically.

She wondered how long it would take before the blonde whore could walk right, so Jax wouldn't have to be around her anymore. There was no way that Jax was around her because he wanted to be. No girl could hold Jax's attention for very long because he needed a different kind of girl. He needed a girl like her.

In addition to the rumor about how the blonde whore got hurt, there was another juicy rumor that Jax told Tara he never wanted to see her again. That wasn't the juicy part.

Tara had a nervous breakdown at the hospital in the middle of surgery and had to be massively sedated and then taken to the locked psych ward and put in a strait jacket. It was a good place for that pasty faced bitch.

She hated Tara. A lot of the town's population felt the same way. By the time Tara left Charming, she'd burned a lot of bridges. She strutted around town telling everyone how only backward people would stay in a backward town like Charming. Well, that bitch had crawled back to Charming and taken a crap job at a second rate hospital.

Maybe Tara would be so crazy, they would have to shock her brain with electricity. It made you lose memories. Tara could lose some of her medical memories. She couldn't be a doctor if she lost medical knowledge. Pathetic Tara locked in a psych ward out of her mind because Jax dumped her _again_.

Wendy should be dead soon. Any minute now Wendy would breathe her last breath. It may have already happened. Wendy and that stupid baby could be dead at this very minute.

She shut her eyes for a moment imagining a world with Tara locked up in the psych ward and Wendy and the baby dead. It was a beautiful world, full of happiness and joy. Jax would soon be hers unless the blonde whore got in her way.

She could handle the blonde whore if she got too close to Jax. And she would die bloody. Stab. Stab. Stab. No more blonde whore. Of course, if she killed her for real, there would be more than three stab wounds. Once she got going, it was hard to stop.

She turned the movie on and watched the guy who looked so much like Jax.


	46. Chapter 46

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 46 Played**

As Scarlett closed the door behind Jax and flipped the heavy bolt through the lock, she shook her head and smiled.

"Well played, Jax Teller," she said with begrudging admiration in her voice.

She looked out the door's peephole and watched as Jax put on his motorcycle helmet, got on his bike and rode off. He did look good taking off into the darkness with his pale blonde hair not blowing in the wind because he had a man bun.

She loved teasing him about the man bun. It was funny when he was trying to be serious about how he washed his hair, put it in a ponytail and tucked the ends in but it wasn't a man bun. She had learned that most men are a little embarrassed about grooming rituals because they didn't want to seem vain.

Then he'd threatened her with drying her body with his tongue if she used the term man bun again. That had gotten a little fear into her. She was certain that she wouldn't be the first woman he tongue dried and she probably wouldn't be the last. She had no idea how she could look him in the eye if he did that to her. It would be humiliating and hands down it would be the most interesting sexual experience of her life.

From what Violet said about him, she didn't think she would like him and she'd have to pretend. She expected him to have that smooth veneer and glib tongue that many men used to get women. She'd had a lot of men try that with her. It never got them anywhere except rejected.

She wondered about Jax and how he approached women when he wanted to sleep with them. Did he have lines? Did he just flash that blinding grin? What was it that drew women to him?

He was attractive with a great body. She remembered when she made the comment to his MC that he should spend more time working on his upper body and less time combing his beard. He'd taken one of her hands, slipped it under his shirt and pressed it against his abs. Just thinking about it caused her face to flush.

He was just incredibly sexy and he was easy to like. That just made it easy to spend time with him, she told herself. It was that simple. It didn't mean she had any feelings for him. She didn't fall in love and it really _was_ that simple. And that was all there was to it.

It had gotten under her skin when she moved closer until she was practically standing on top of him and he didn't deepen the kiss. He pulled away and told her she was good for his self-control.

The bastard had played her. He knew she wanted him to kiss her with more intensity. He had been the one to pull away letting her know that he was the one in control.

Well, it was useful for him to think that for now.


	47. Chapter 47

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 47 Discovered**

Jax was still smiling when he stopped at the first stop sign. He definitely had the upper hand in whatever it was that he was doing with Scarlett. When she moved closer while he was kissing her, he had used up nearly every ounce of self-control to keep from giving her that Jax Teller close the deal kiss or the "kiss me dizzy" kiss as Tara used to call it.

It felt good to play Scarlett for a change. Even better, she knew that he was playing her. She wanted a more romantic kiss and he had chosen to leave her wanting more. He would never forget the surprised and slightly annoyed look on her face. It was a good look for her and he had knocked the always in control Scarlett off balance.

He didn't know where things were going with her, but he was enjoying the journey. It was unusual for him because he didn't spend time with women outside of sex and actually sleeping. He didn't get to know women. That included Wendy.

Wendy was a nightmare of a mistake. He didn't know much about her. She and her mother had moved to Charming a few years ago. He also knew that Wendy's mother was an alcoholic and they had a fiery relationship.

He had seen plenty of crank addicts and Wendy didn't look like one. She didn't have that thin, emaciated body, bad teeth and bad skin that were the signs of a crank addict. He knew now that she was a fairly recent addict and the drug hadn't yet taken its toll on her looks.

Gemma had been on him to fix up a room for the baby. She tried to show him paint colors. He just couldn't get excited about the decorating process. That was less to do with the baby and more about him.

Decorating wasn't important to him. He had only recently evolved from putting posters on the walls with thumb tacks to putting them in frames and hanging them on the walls.

He decided to give Gemma some money and ask her to decorate the baby's room. If he did it himself, she would want to come with him and tell him what to buy. It would be more efficient to give her complete control. She would love that and it would get her off his back.

Scarlett was right when she told him that he would need to be a great father. He would have to find that within himself somewhere. His kid needed one functional parent. He was just going to have to suck it up and make room in his life for a kid. He might enjoy fatherhood. It was possible.

Jax Teller doing diapers and day care. The thought of that scared him more than if he were in a gun fight without a gun. A kid could put one hell of a dent in his sex life especially if he ended up with full custody of his kid because the kid couldn't live with a crank addict.

The key to improving this situation was getting Wendy clean so she could be a functional mother. He had paid for rehab and it failed. It was up to Wendy now. She was going to have to want to get clean. He hoped that the birth of the baby would jolt her into getting clean, but he wasn't optimistic.

He parked his bike outside Wendy's mother's trailer. The drapes were slightly open and he could see the light from the television screen. That meant Wendy was home. She couldn't remember to lock a door, but she always remembered to turn the TV off when she left.

Wendy didn't come to the door when he knocked. That wasn't surprising. He turned the door knob and discovered the door was unlocked. That wasn't surprising either.

"Wendy," Jax called. "Wendy," he repeated.

He walked into the home and saw her sprawled on the floor, her blonde hair covering her face. He turned the kitchen lights on, saw the spoon with a little residue in it and a syringe on the counter.

There was a weak pulse. He called her name and lightly slapped her face to wake her up. After a minute or so of this without any response, he gave up and went into the kitchen to use the phone on the wall to call 911.

As Jax answered the 911 operator's questions, he could hear the click of the keys just like on TV. He told her he suspected she had overdosed on crank and she was pregnant.

The seven minutes it took before an ambulance arrived passed so slowly, Jax thought the clock on the kitchen wall must have stopped. He hated feeling helpless, but there was nothing for him to do. Wendy was breathing and her heart was beating.

Once the paramedics arrived, Jax expected them to scoop up Wendy from the floor and rush her to the hospital. On TV, it happened in under a minute. In real life, it took almost six minutes before Wendy was on her way to the hospital.

As they were moving Wendy to the stretcher, a paramedic found a thumb bag with a skull and cross bones on it that had been underneath her. He picked it up along with the spoon and syringe. It was standard practice to bring anything that would help ID the substance the patient had taken.

Jax used his cell phone to leave a message on Wendy's mother's voice mail. He also found the receipt he'd used earlier to leave a message for Wendy in the trash. He crossed out the earlier message and wrote a note to Wendy's mother that she was being taken by paramedics to St. Thomas' with a suspected overdose. He left it on the counter.

Jax next called Gemma to alert her to the news. She said they would head to the hospital and meet him there. He turned the TV off and locked the front door behind him.

It never crossed his mind that he could lose Wendy or the baby.


	48. Chapter 48

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 48 Lived**

Tara's worst medical nightmare was coming to life; she had to deliver bad medical news to someone she loved. She wasn't sure yet if she still loved Jax or not, but it was close enough. The audience of Gemma, Clay, Chibs, Tig, Bobby and Half-Sack only increased the nightmare factor.

This night wasn't about any history she had with Jax or anyone else, even Gemma. This was about Wendy and the baby she was carrying. She had to stay focused and professional, but there wasn't any way around it; this was going to be complete hell.

They were clustered around the hall leading to the emergency room.

"Let me show you where you can all wait. It will be more private."

Jax nodded and Tara led them all down a hall and into an empty waiting room outside ICU. It was a bleak cheerless room that could hold twenty people when it was full. The walls were gray, the dozen metal chairs arranged along one wall were charcoal gray and against another wall was a light gray sofa with an empty end table and a bright yellow lamp that provided dim light to the room.

"Wendy is in critical condition. When she was being transported in the ambulance, her heart stopped. The EMTs were able to resuscitate her. We believe whatever she took—probably crank—must have been cut with at least one other drug. We believe this additional drug or drugs are causing organ failure."

"The baby?" Jax asked.

Tara could hear the anguish and fear in Jax's voice. She had heard the same tone of voice from so many parents.

"We're monitoring the baby. If we can't stabilize Wendy soon, or her condition worsens, we'll deliver the baby. Do you know her due date?"

Jax told Tara the due date.

"If you have to choose between that crank whore and the baby, save the baby," Gemma blurted out loudly.

"Gemma . . ." Clay cautioned her.

This wasn't the first time Tara had heard this tone of voice from Clay. It was the tone of voice he used to warn Gemma she was out of line.

The men of SAMCRO stared down at the ground. They were not about to get between Clay and Gemma. MC protocol meant that the men were expected to keep their old ladies in line by whatever means necessary.

Jax and Opie had a little more modern view of relationships, but Tara had never been OK with the attitude the rest of the MC had towards women.

"Not helpful, Gemma," Jax said biting the words off. "If you can't be supportive, leave."

Tara was shocked by Jax's words to Gemma. He had put up with a lot from Gemma while they were together. Wendy's medical crisis was bringing out a stronger side to Jax that was new to her and she liked it.

"It won't come to making that type of decision," Tara said locking eyes with him.

"Thanks."

Tara nodded and returned to ICU. She had been gone only seven minutes, but that had been enough time for her nightmare to get worse. Wendy was dead.


	49. Chapter 49

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 49 Mourned**

Outside the waiting room was a small room that was kept locked. When Tara unlocked the door and suggested they all go inside, he had flashbacks to being in that same little room when he was told his father had just died.

He didn't remember the furniture. He only remembered a small window that overlooked the parking lot and the ugly, dirty pink color of the walls. Almost two decades later, the walls were still that same ugly color.

When Tara broke the news to him, he'd felt numb inside. It didn't seem real that the girl he'd loved in high school had grown up to be a doctor who was now telling him that his soon-to-be ex-wife was dead and it didn't look good for the baby. She said to prepare for the worst.

Jax never thought Wendy's overdose would kill her. He thought they would give her some antidote to the crank and she would be OK. It wasn't the first time she OD'd. She told him that she had overdosed three times. He had no reason to believe this time it would end in death.

Tara also told him that since they believed her overdose wasn't a typical overdose, there would be an autopsy on Wendy. The syringe, spoon and thumb bag with the skull and crossbones were going to be handed over to the police department for their investigation and toxicology tests.

Sometimes he'd hated Wendy, but he had never wanted her dead. He wanted her to get clean and be a mother to his kid. As long as she was alive, that was a possibility. Now, that would never happen. His kid would never know her.

Tara had asked him if he wanted to say good-bye to Wendy. He remembered the doctor asking him the same question after his father died. He wanted to see his dad, but Gemma said she couldn't bear to see JT dead. He, Gemma, Clay and Piney had waited for them to clean up JT and so he could see him.

Piney had gone with him. Piney's hand had been on his shoulder offering comfort. After Piney said good-bye to JT, he left so Jax could have privacy. It was still a gut-wrenching memory after all these years.

He didn't know how he felt about saying good-bye to Wendy. He hadn't processed her death. Tara assured him that he didn't need to decide immediately.

After Tara told them about Wendy and the baby, the guys said things, Gemma and Clay said things and he remembered none of it. Less than an hour had passed and his entire life was taking a huge dramatic change. He was going to be a single father if the baby lived.

His misgivings over fatherhood were gone. He wanted that baby to live. He would change his life completely and do whatever it would take to be a good father. He just wanted the baby to live.


	50. Chapter 50

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 50 Tested**

Tara's shift in the ER would end in four hours. At least there was an end in sight to this nightmare.

The words she used to tell Jax that Wendy was dead were the standard words she used to deliver death notifications. She always said the same words, so she didn't have to think about what she had to say. It also helped her to keep some emotional distance.

Tara had seen a full range of reactions from screaming and hysterics to Jax's numb with a side of disbelief. Gemma kept quiet. The MC gave Jax hugs. For a crazy second, she almost started laughing. These big tough bikers were a bunch of huggers. Luckily, she'd gotten control of herself in the nick of time.

Jax had been uncertain when she asked him if he wanted to say good-bye to Wendy. She knew from a medical perspective it was important to loved ones to say good-bye. It was supposed to help heal the loss. She was OK with that when the deceased was an adult.

She found it almost unbearably sad when a baby died and the mother would hold and rock the baby for hours unable to let the baby go. It never got easier to see.

From the time that Wendy was pronounced dead to the time the baby was born was under three minutes. The baby wasn't doing well from a combination of developmental issues and the premature birth. She had warned Jax to prepare for the worst.

He told her that he and Wendy planned to name the baby Abel for a boy or Bela for a girl. They had wanted to wait until the birth to find out the sex of the child.

She needed to update Jax on the baby's condition, but there was something wrong with the test results. This wasn't the first time, she'd gotten odd results from the hospital's lab. She was quickly discovering that St. Thomas wasn't the hospital of her dreams.

If patients knew how often the hospital gave out wrong test results, there would be even more malpractice suits. That was another thing she hadn't thought about when she became a doctor. Every time a patient died, she worried that she'd get sued.

Her mind returned to the test results. The lab called and confirmed them. There still had to be something wrong. She instructed the lab tech to come down and take another blood sample from the baby. The other lab tech did the test three times and gotten the same results every time.

Tara shook her head. Nothing in medical school had prepared her for what she had to do. No matter how she did it and which news she broke first, she knew she was going to screw it up.

Excluding the day her mother died and the day her father died, this was the worst day of her life and it was just going to get worse.


	51. Chapter 51

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 51 Delivered**

Gemma hadn't called Wendy a junkie whore or said she deserved to die. Whether Gemma had figured out she shouldn't be saying these things or she didn't want trouble with Clay, Jax didn't know. He was grateful that she was refraining from expressing her opinion about Wendy. She would have more than enough time later to bad mouth Wendy.

They had moved out of the little locked room where he found out about his father's death and Wendy's death into the waiting room outside of ICU. The small room was too tight a fit for everyone.

Hospitals weren't places to go to get well; they were places to go to die. He wondered how Tara could want to work here dealing with death and misery every day.

Jax focused on getting through the next minute and the next. He was overwhelmed by the idea of being a single parent to a newborn. He couldn't picture himself carrying a diaper bag, much less changing diapers.

In the end, he didn't care how much he needed to change his life for his kid. That kid was depending on him. The kid just needed to stay alive. Tellers were fighters. He felt optimistic for the first time since Tara told him to be prepared for the worst.

Tara came walking down the hall a short time later. The second Jax saw her, his heart sank. She had the key to the little room in her hand. He didn't need her to say anything. He knew what she was going to say. Even her face had a stoic, resolute look.

"Just tell us out here," Jax said.

"OK," Tara said. She took a breath. "We delivered the baby, but there were developmental issues possibly related to Wendy's drug use. Additionally, the baby was premature. Those factors combined with whatever was in that last dose of crank proved incapable with life."

"What the hell?" Gemma demanded. "Are you saying the baby is _dead_?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so."

Jax's shoulders sagged under the weight of this devastating news. Tara warned him, but he believed the baby would live. He had thought the baby would fight and pull through.

He blamed himself for not doing more to get Wendy off crank. He should have locked her in a room to keep her from using crank. Instead, he ignored her drug use because it was convenient.

He imagined that cold little body who never felt the love of a mother or father and never would now. He hadn't wanted the baby and now the baby was dead.

There was no joy or relief with this news. Just sorrow and a gut wrenching sense of loss. He knew in his mind that he didn't will the baby to die, but he couldn't help feeling that if he had had a better attitude about the baby, the outcome could have been different.

The guys hugged him and slapped his cut and murmured sympathetic things. Gemma gave him a long hug and Clay even hugged him. It didn't make him feel even the smallest bit better.

Tara just stood there looking at him with her big brown eyes.

"Jax, I need to talk to you."

"So, talk."

"I need to speak with you privately," she said.

"Just tell me."

"I need two minutes."

Gemma glared at Tara, but Tara stood her ground.

"OK," Jax said.

Tara unlocked the door and led him into the small room of death and bad news and shut the door.


	52. Chapter 52

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 52 Devastated**

When she went to deliver the news about the baby to Jax, she'd been forced to change the words she used for death notifications because only minutes before she used them to break the news about Wendy. She couldn't repeat the words. She hadn't thought through what she was going to say until she said the words.

She tried to soften the news by being vague. At least she'd remembered to make it sound like the baby didn't die due to poor medical care. The baby received the best care St. Thomas could provide. Probably.

Could another hospital have provided better care that could have saved Wendy, the baby or both? That was what had Tara second guessing every decision the medical team made. Would the baby have lived if they had delivered the baby as soon as Wendy got to the hospital? There were still so many unknowns about which drugs crossed from the mother to the baby and the effects on the fetus.

In the end, she wasn't the one that made the final decisions that led to the death of Wendy and her baby. Dr. Schmidt made the decisions on Wendy's care and Dr. Namid had made the decisions for the baby.

Dr. Namid had an excellent reputation, but she was beginning to question his current skill level. Reputations were about the past. His current skill level hadn't impressed her. Maybe he had peaked and his skills were declining.

She knew why Dr. Namid sent her out to break the news. Studies have shown that if a person liked his or her doctor, the chances of being sued for malpractice declined dramatically. He never said it, but she had the feeling that was why he told her to break the news. He knew about her prior relationship with Jax. She disclosed it before she began assisting him that night.

There was something about being around Jax that was bringing the worst out in her. She felt like she was high school Tara again and high school Tara was a disaster. She felt insecure, tongue-tied and awkward—just like high school. She thought that version of herself was gone for good. Well, surprise! It wasn't.

Losing the baby was heart-breaking enough, but Tara had no idea how Jax was going to take this next bit of news. Maybe she should have told him this part first. Maybe she shouldn't tell him this part at all. She wished she'd gone into medical research so she didn't have to face these dilemmas.

Tara knew that whatever she did was going to be wrong. Sometimes in life there are no right answers. This was the problem she was facing. It was what she hated most about life—sometimes there are no right answers or good choices.

If she hadn't been working that shift, she would never have learned what she was about to tell Jax. She wasn't sure if what she was about to do would help or hurt Jax. She wasn't even sure if she should tell him.

She believed deep down in her heart that Jax had a right to the information she was going to tell him. If she hadn't known Jax and had a past with him, she thought she would make the same decision. She had tried to subtract out her feelings for Jax from the decision, but she couldn't do that because she still didn't know how she felt about him.

Her feelings for Jax might not matter. After all the bad news she'd given him, she wondered if he would ever want to see her again. The bad news wasn't her fault, but this private bit of news was different.

She had had to practically drag him into the little room of bad news and death as it was known to hospital staff. It was supposed to help give recipients of bad news greater dignity. She thought it might have more to do with not wanting people to know how many patients didn't make it out of St. Thomas alive.

Tara wished she could comfort Jax by wrapping her arms around him. Of course, she couldn't do that. She had to be professional. In moments like these, she felt like a fraud.

Medical school seemed like a lifetime ago. She'd forgotten so many things including the number of deaths she'd witnessed and the number of bodies she'd help carve up when she was learning anatomy.

"Take a seat for a moment," Tara said to Jax. She was using the medical voice she used for work. It was calm, cool and professional.

She closed the door behind them. This information was for Jax. What he chose to do with it was up to him. She didn't want to think about what Gemma's reaction could be to what she was about to tell Jax. She was certain Gemma would blurt out something hurtful.

"Look, Tara, just tell me whatever it is you need to tell me," Jax said impatiently.

"Just sit down and give me a moment."

Jax looked beaten up. She'd seen him beaten up. The only difference this time was the bruises and cuts were on the inside.

He shook his head and finally sat down. Tara took the chair next to him.

"There is no easy way to say this . . ." Tara began.

"Just tell me whatever the hell you have to tell me," Jax said.

"OK," Tara said. "The baby wasn't yours."


	53. Chapter 53

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 53 Deceived**

Tara wasn't sure how Jax was going to react. Ten years was a long time. She couldn't predict how this more mature Jax would handle such a emotional kick to the balls.

"How the hell do you know that? There wasn't time to do a DNA test." Jax's voice was mostly level. No shouting yet.

"We didn't need one. Let me explain now," Tara said keeping her voice soft and low, hoping that would keep Jax calm.

Tara knew Jax was capable of explosive anger. She'd seen him punch doors and walls when he was angry. He had left _holes_. Big ones sometimes. He had never hit her, but there was still just a little fear that he would snap and he would direct his anger at her.

She did love that dark, dangerous side to Jax's life as long as it didn't get too dangerous. It was the physical toughness in him that was in short supply in the men she met. They just seemed bland and boring compared to blonde, blue-eyed, tough and hot as hell, Jax.

She had dated a couple of surgeons. She quickly discovered they were a bunch of pussies. They would never dream of punching someone with their precious money makers no matter what another guy was trying to do to her.

When she was with Jax, she felt protected. If a man put his hands on her, Jax wouldn't negotiate with the guy or scold him with harsh words. He'd punch him. Hard.

Jax got to his feet and put his hands in his pockets. Tara relaxed a little since the walls of St. Thomas didn't seem to be in any immediate danger of being punched out.

"Remember when we did the SAMCRO blood drive when we were juniors in high school? Your blood type was AB, right?"

"Yeah."

"The baby's blood type was O. I had the test re-run, I had different lab techs run the test and I had them take the baby's blood again. It's an easy test to perform. It doesn't take a lot of skill. It's a very basic test.

"You can't use blood typing to determine paternity. It was used before DNA to rule out paternity. A man with AB blood cannot father a child with type O blood. It's impossible."

Jax's face was flushed bright red. He was breathing slowly, making an effort to control his temper.

"Did she know?"

Tara hesitated for a moment.

 _"Did she know?"_ Jax raised his voice.

"The baby's due date was calculated based on info Wendy provided. The due date you gave me was three weeks later than the one in her medical file. She had to have known because she lied to you about the due date."

 _"Son of a bitch,"_ Jax's voice was packed with fury.

Tara watched anxiously as Jax took his hands out of his pockets.

"If you need to punch something, punch this wall," Tara said pointing to an interior wall. "If you punch an exterior wall, you'll really mess up your hands."

"Now that's the Tara I remember," Jax said with the ghost of a smile.

And then he punched the wall. An interior wall.


	54. Chapter 54

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 54 Outwitted**

Jax wondered if there were twelve step programs for idiots because he needed one. He was Jax Fucking Teller and he was an idiot. The crank whore he married told him he was the father of her baby and he _believed_ her. Never even questioned it. That made him the biggest fucking idiot on the planet.

Damn that whore Wendy. He had actually felt grief because she died. Even blamed himself a little for not doing more to help her get off crank. Wendy wasn't smart, but she'd fooled him. Easily. He never even doubted that the baby was his.

This was what happened when men thought with their dicks. Wendy came to see him, all sweet, vulnerable and sad because he was divorcing her. He felt a little bad, so he'd wanted to comfort her. She assured him that she'd had her period the day before and it was safe to not use a condom.

That slut knew she was pregnant and that's why it was safe. She had to have sex with him, so she could pass off that kid as his. The whore probably didn't even know who the father was or she told the guy and he took off which made the guy smarter than him. _Son-of-a-fucking-bitch_.

She was using another man's baby to try to keep him. How the hell could he not have even considered the possibility? Was it because he trusted her or because he didn't think she could pull off that lie? Both. It was fucking both.

He was too damned smart to get caught up in the oldest trick in the book—passing off one man's baby as another's. Yet, his junkie slut ex had no problem fooling him. Wendy had outwitted him.

The worst part was he had finally accepted that he was going to be a father. He wasn't enthusiastically looking forward to making major changes to his lifestyle, but he knew that he would have to do it. He did want to give his kid a good dad. He felt bad that the baby had died. Poor kid never had a chance at life.

While Tara was telling him how she knew the baby wasn't his, he only half listened to her. He knew old Tara would have made absolutely sure that the information she was giving him was correct. This new older Tara just wouldn't make that kind of error.

Wait a minute. He'd believed Wendy. Who the hell knew how much shit people had been telling him and he thought he was so fucking smart and that no one could put anything over on him?

He was working on controlling his temper. He was an adult. He needed more self-control, but the longer that Tara talked, the madder he got. He tried putting his hands in his pockets to resist the urge he had to punch something.

He wasn't mad at Tara. It was fate that they had participated in a SAMCRO blood drive, she remembered his blood type and she happened to be working tonight. For whatever reason, he was supposed to discover that he wasn't the baby's father.

His rage kept building despite his attempts to control it. He didn't want to think about what he would have said and done to Wendy had she not died. He wondered if she laughed at how smart she was and how she had tricked him.

The world turned red and Tara said something about not punching an exterior wall. The next thing he knew, he'd punched the wall a couple of times. The pain felt better than thinking about Wendy and how she'd lied to him and made him look like a fool.

Now he knew. Baby Bela was not his kid.


	55. Chapter 55

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 55 Punched**

After Jax punched the wall a few times, he seemed less agitated. Maybe the worst was over, Tara thought as she watched him.

That had gone much better than expected. She heaved a sigh of relief. Jax hadn't blamed her for what happened. It wasn't her fault, of course, but he still could have blamed her because she brought him the news.

"I don't know what you want to do about this," Tara said.

"What do you mean?"

"Under the law, you and Wendy are married and the baby is legally presumed to be yours. I don't know what the legal ramifications are or what you would need to do if you want to do something about the paternity. The baby's records don't contain any information that says you aren't the father. I only know because I know your blood type and the baby's."

"You're talking about keeping it a secret?"

"I'm saying there is nothing in the records that state the identity of the father. Do you know who the father is so we could notify him?"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Tara knew she had screwed up. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. She'd made it sound like she wanted the name of the father and that's why she'd told him he wasn't the father.

She did feel it was her duty as a physician to ask. If the baby's father knew about her, he should be notified of her death. She just had done an incredibly bad job of saying that.

Ten years later and she was still a tongue-tied loser. She thought she had involved into a confident, mature adult. A few minutes of talking to Jax alone and she was back to the awkward teen from high school.

It had been going so smoothly. Jax had taken the news about the baby really well and now she'd gone and destroyed everything. What if she never got another chance with Jax because she had botched this whole thing with the baby?

"Do you really think that I didn't know about the baby not being mine, yet I know who the father is? Does that make fucking sense to you, Tara?"

Tara flinched at the rough, angry tone of Jax's voice. He was right and that only made it worse. Would this nightmare never end?

"I didn't mean it the way it sounded," Tara said. "I wondered if Wendy had ever mentioned anyone."

"No. It was a fucking surprise," Jax said.

He punched the wall again.


	56. Chapter 56

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 56 Rocked**

Now Jax was mad at Tara. It was typical Tara to surprise him by revealing he wasn't the baby's father and then asking if he knew who the father was. He had hoped that with all the education she'd had that she had learned to think a little more before speaking. A doctor was supposed to have some tact for God's sake.

"I just thought Wendy might have mentioned something to you," Tara said.

"She didn't."

"Jax, I really am sorry for everything."

"Is that apology for the past or the present?" Jax asked, studying Tara's face.

"A bit for the past, but mostly about now."

"Why the hell did you come back to Charming?"

Jax returned to his chair next to Tara. That last punch into the wall had calmed him. He had put all his anger at Wendy into that punch. His knuckles were the worst for it, but the anger was almost all gone.

"I discovered that I missed the town. I never thought I would say those words, but I just hit a place in my life when I wanted to live in a smaller town."

"So you move back to a town you said you hated?"

Tara shrugged.

"I'm different. I can appreciate Charming now."

Jax didn't believe her. Her father died a couple of months ago and Tara didn't have any friends in Charming. She had come back hoping for a relationship with him.

He didn't really expect her to tell him the truth. When he and Tara were at the beginning stages of their relationship back in high school, she had tried to play it cool with him, but he'd known almost from the minute they met that she liked him.

If the timing had been better, Jax might have tried to explain to Tara that he had moved ahead with his life. It wasn't the right time and he pretty much never wanted to get into a relationship discussion with any girl. It was easy to put it off.

"Good luck with that," Jax said drily.

"Thanks. It really is up to you as to what you want to do about the paternity issue."

"You think I should keep it a secret?"

"It's up to you. I wasn't sure if I should tell you the truth about the baby, but I just felt you were owed the truth. Knowing the truth doesn't really change things. The baby is still dead."

"Bela is still dead," Jax corrected her.

"Bela is still dead."

"It does matter to me that you told me the truth. I'm sorry that Bela died, but I know that she wasn't mine. I don't have to grieve that loss. When I have a kid, it will be the first and there won't be a dead kid for me to remember."

Tara nodded her head.

"That's true. I didn't think of it that way. Does that mean you're going to get your name taken off the birth certificate?"

"I don't know about that part. I'll talk to Rosen and see what the process is. I don't care as much about the legal part. It was just important for me to know that my kid isn't dead. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

"Time to go break the good news to everyone," Jax said. There wasn't any happiness in his words. He was conscious of the fact that whether or not she was his kid, Bela was dead. That wasn't a cause for celebration.

Jax left the little room of death and bad news with Tara following behind him. Clay, Tig, Chibs, Bobby and Half-Sack were gathered a few yards away from the door in the hallway.

"I need to tell you all something," Jax said. He looked around. "Where's Gemma?"

"She wanted to say good-bye to the baby," Clay said.

Tara's eyes widened and all the color drained from her face.

 _"Oh, fuck,"_ Tara said.

She quickly covered her mouth with her hands as if she were trying to keep other words from escaping her mouth.


	57. Chapter 57

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 57 Socked**

Tara thought that the nightmare was over. She had smoothed out as much as possible her huge screw-up when she asked Jax if he knew the identity of the baby's father, but with Gemma saying good-bye to the baby that wasn't her granddaughter, she might have reached a new level of nightmare.

Back in high school, it had taken her a long time to feel comfortable around Jax. She was such an awkward mess, she was surprised that he kept talking to her. Getting Jax to fall in love with her felt like the best ever magic trick. She wondered if she would be able to repeat the trick. It might just be too late or maybe she was out of magic.

When their relationship was falling apart, she thought she could rescue it if they left Charming together. She even suggested that he join another SOA chapter.

Gemma paid her a visit shortly after that. It ended up with slapping, shoving, punching, hair pulling and a death threat. Gemma wasn't about to let her take Jax out of Charming. She never told Jax about the fight. It wouldn't have made any difference.

Jax loved SAMCRO more than he loved her. That was part of the problem between them. She wanted a man to love her the most. She believed in all that epic love and soul mate stuff. If Jax were the right man for her, he should love her the most.

She'd gone out into the real world, the one that existed beyond Charming's charming borders and discovered that maybe she did have the epic love, soul mate stuff with Jax, but she'd been too immature to see it. She hoped she could recapture that magical love and live with the fact that he would always love the MC more.

She needed to focus on the immediate problem—Gemma saying good-bye to a baby that was not her granddaughter. Gemma would blame her and she had a feeling that Gemma was going to attack her.

If she told Gemma when they were alone, it would increase the odds it would end in a cat fight. She had to get Jax and Clay to go with her.

"I think it would be easier for Gemma if you came with me," Tara said to Jax.

"Yeah, good idea. I need to tell you guys something, but I have to tell Gemma first."

"Maybe Clay should come too?" Tara suggested.

She wanted as many bodies between her and Gemma as possible. It would not be good for a new doctor at St. Thomas to get in a cat fight at work. Of course, it would never be good for a doctor to get into a cat fight at work, new doctor or not.

"What's going on?" Clay asked.

"Just come with us," Jax said.

Tara led them back to the NICU where little Bela had lost the fight for her life. There was a small room, off to one side that had previously been a closet, the hospital used for parents saying good-bye. They decided to make a separate space because the parents who were visiting their infants became disturbed seeing a dead baby and a crying family. It was a tough sight even for professionals.

The room was a sunshine yellow with a couple of rocking chairs and straight backed chairs. Gemma was sitting in one of the rocking chairs rocking little Bela and softly singing to her.

Bela looked like a little doll in Gemma's arms. She was swaddled in a white blanket with a little pink cap on her head so the medical violence done to try to save her life wasn't visible. She was so still and peaceful in Gemma's arms with her little eyes shut and her thick eyelashes resting on her cheeks.

Tara knew it was all going to go horribly, horribly wrong.


	58. Chapter 58

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 58 Clocked**

Jax knew that the baby's death had hit Gemma hard. Despite all her protests that she was too young to be a grandmother, she was looking forward to the birth of her first grandchild. There were days when it was all she could talk about. Wendy's paternity lie also hurt Gemma.

"Gemma, I need to tell you something about the baby," Jax said.

Gemma stopped rocking and singing to Bela. Clay was standing on one side of the rocker. Tara was standing behind Jax, trying to appear as small as possible.

"Wendy lied to me about the due date for the baby. It was actually three weeks earlier."

"That doesn't matter," Gemma said and began rocking the baby again.

"Stop," Jax said. He held out his hand and stopped the rocking chair. "Listen to me. Wendy lied about the due date because I'm not the father."

Gemma stared at Jax, looked down at the baby and studied the baby's features.

"She looks like you."

"She isn't mine. When Tara and I were in high school, we participated in a SAMCRO blood drive. She remembered my blood type was AB. The baby's blood type is type O. I can't be the baby's father. It's impossible."

"She knew this when she told us the baby died," Gemma said.

"Yes," Jax said.

Gemma looked at the baby's face again.

"OK," she said, her voice surprisingly calm.

She stood up still holding the baby. She let go of the baby, carelessly letting Bela fall into the rocking chair like she was nothing more than a pillow.

Jax and Clay exchanged looks, surprised by how calmly Gemma was taking this news. Tara stayed close to Jax. It didn't help her. Gemma jumped on Tara, knocking them both to the ground.

In Tara's world, disputes were handled with words, lawsuits and harsh memos. No one would dream of handling a problem with physical violence.

In Jax's world, disputes were handled with words or violence and sometimes both. Sometimes violence was the only solution. It was part of the MC way of life.

If a man had jumped Tara, Jax would have intervened, but this problem was between Gemma and Tara. He couldn't blame Gemma for being angry that Tara didn't tell them about the baby's paternity until after she delivered the news of the baby's death. Gemma was handling her anger the MC way.

He understood Tara's explanation that she needed to tell him, so he could decide how he wanted to handle the news, but he also understood Gemma's fury that she had been grieving over the death of a grandchild that wasn't hers.

Gemma was on top of Tara punching her. Tara had a fist full of Gemma's hair. She landed an elbow to Gemma's face.

Jax and Clay watched. There was just something about a cat fight that men enjoyed. The hospital staff heard the commotion and filled the doorway to watch the fight.

It said a lot about the power of the MC that no one had called hospital security to break up the fight. It also said a lot about Tara's co-workers lack of concern for her.

"We should break this up," Jax said.

Clay nodded. Neither men moved to break up the fight. Sometimes, women just needed to work out their differences.


	59. Chapter 59

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 59 Slugged**

Tara hoped that by sticking close to Jax, Gemma wouldn't attack her. That hadn't worked. Her last hope was that Jax would stop his mother. When she and Jax were together, there was a chance that would happen. Now, she knew she was on her own.

She didn't have a fight plan or a signature cat fight move, but when Gemma knocked her to the ground and got on top of her, all the rage and hate she had for Gemma came out. The past ten years fell away and she was no longer a doctor, but a nineteen year old girl fighting for the man she loved.

Gemma unleashed her fury over Tara being back in town and ripping up her heart by letting her think a dead baby was her granddaughter. She punched Tara in the stomach followed by a couple of slaps to the face.

Tara grabbed Gemma's hair and elbowed her hard in the face. They each traded slaps, slugs and punches.

"We really should break this up," Clay said.

"Yeah," Jax agreed.

Tara managed to get Gemma off her, but Gemma countered by yanking Tara's hair hard pulling out an impressive handful of hair. Tara smacked Gemma hard in the ear with the flat of her hand, which was more painful than it sounded.

"Are you ladies done?" Clay asked with thinly veiled sarcasm during a pause in the fight.

"You bitch," Gemma said, lunging for Tara.

Clay grabbed Gemma by the shoulders.

"Enough!" he said.

Both women had lost some hair and gotten some bruises. Tara had a bruise to her temple and her hair was no longer up in a bun. Gemma had the beginnings of a black eye from the elbow in the face, but otherwise looked only a little banged up.

The crowd gathered at the door watching the fight, returned to work. No one bothered to check on Tara's well-being.

Tara knew she hadn't made many friends among the staff. Some remembered her from her high school days and some were just fed up with her always telling them how they did things in Chicago. It did hurt her feelings that not a single staff person tried to break up the fight.

"That bitch knew that wasn't my granddaughter. I cried for a kid that wasn't my blood."

"It wasn't my place to tell you about the baby's paternity. That was Jax's decision to make," Tara said.

"You could have taken Jax aside and told him about the paternity and then told him about the baby's death. He would have told us about the baby not being his and he would have told us the baby was dead. You did it the way you did because you wanted to hurt us."

"She does have a good point," Jax said.

Tara knew that she was in serious trouble when Gemma could outthink her. She should have thought of that. She could have told Jax about the baby not being his before she told him of the baby's death. It never even occurred to her to tell him about the baby's paternity first.

"I'm sorry that the way I conveyed the information was hurtful," Tara said using that doctor's tone of voice that managed to convey not a single bit of regret. It was what they called in med school, the non-apology apology.

Gemma lunged for Tara. Clay let her go. The Gemma/Tara fight was back on, moving into its second round.


	60. Chapter 60

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 60 Girl**

Jax discovered that new Tara was more like the old Tara. When Gemma confronted her and told her that she had deliberately told them of the baby's death before the baby's paternity because she wanted to hurt them, he didn't believe it.

He thought it was more likely that she had a certain way she was going to break the news and didn't think of any of the other possibilities. That was old Tara. When she got a plan in her head, she had trouble seeing any other options.

If Tara had been sincerely sorry, he would have been OK with her. It was the cold, mechanical doctor's attitude that mad him angry. Gemma might even be right; Tara wanted to hurt them both. Gemma and Tara never got along for very long. Usually Gemma was the one that started shit.

Tara wanted him to leave Charming and start a new life with her. She never got that they would be the same people just in another place. The problems they had weren't geographic.

He hadn't been as honest about why he wanted out of their relationship. He hadn't wanted to hurt her with the brutal truth; he wanted freedom. He was young and he wanted to date other girls, go out with the guys and party. He wanted to enjoy his youth. He was nineteen. That's what nineteen year-old guys wanted to do. He was also becoming deeply involved in the MC. He loved her, but he wasn't ready to settle down.

Tara wanted them to move in together. That had been the turning point in their relationship because he realized that their goals were different. She just couldn't see that they were too damned young for forever.

Jax and Clay had seen cat fights, but never between these two women. There was always this simmering tension between them. The fight might ease that, but if not, it was entertaining.

They weren't hurting each other. They were just shoving and slapping at each other. Jax had seen Gemma smack around crow-eaters she thought were getting a little too close to Clay. The difference was the crow-eaters knew if they fought back, they would be banished from the clubhouse.

Jax was torn between letting them keep fighting until they finished it and ending it before someone got badly hurt. Both women were breathing heavily, but they still had plenty of fight in them.

Suddenly, he got it. He saw what was important and it wasn't this fight between his mother and his ex-girlfriend.

"Stop it!" Jax shouted. "You are in a hospital in a room with a dead baby," Jax said pointing out the obvious, hoping they would understand that the dead baby was important and not their petty feud.

The two women moved apart, both panting from their fight.

"I should have known that damned baby wasn't Jax's. Teller men make boys not girls. I've always said that baby girls should be drowned at birth."

Jax had seen his mother toss the body of Bela into the rocking chair. He hadn't liked it. It may not be his kid, but it was still a baby that was never going to live another second.

"You have gone too far," Jax yelled at Gemma. His blue eyes flashed with anger. "A baby is still dead and that's a tragedy. How can you be so cold and so full of hate that you can say baby girls should be drowned at birth _in a room with a dead baby girl in it_? What kind of person even _thinks_ that way?"

"Well it's Tara's fault," Gemma said pouting.

"No, you said the fucking words. It's your fucking fault."

"You bitch," Gemma said to Tara.

"I'm taking a few days to clear my head. Take a trip on my bike maybe. I don't care what the two of you do to each other," Jax said to Gemma and Tara. "Tear each other apart. I don't fucking care."

"OK, son," Clay said calmly. "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks," Jax said.

He slapped Clay on the arm before storming from the room.

"See what you've done now," Gemma shouted at Tara.


	61. Chapter 61

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 61 Low**

Tara picked up baby Bela and carefully and gently adjusted the blanket around her and tucked in a few strands of hair that had come out of the little pink cap when Gemma threw her into the rocking chair. She gently closed one of the baby's eyes that was open before returning her to the crib until she could be moved into the morgue.

She then locked herself in a staff bathroom cubicle and began to cry. She knew it wouldn't be easy returning to Charming, but she never dreamed it would be this damned hard.

She knew she had screwed up the way she told Jax about the baby's death and paternity. She'd been in doctor mode. It made sense at the time to deliver the death news first before the paternity news. She wished she'd seen the better option—the one Gemma mentioned.

Being around Jax had brought back the old Tara and she'd tried so hard to kill that version of her. Teen Tara was stubborn, hard-headed and reluctant to admit fault. She wasn't that way anymore, but when she was with Jax, all the old behavior came back. It was pure reflex.

Her mistake could have been fixed, but her stubborn pride prevented her from giving Jax the heartfelt apology she owed him. She needed to be honest with Jax and admit it never crossed her mind to handle telling him about the baby the way Gemma suggested.

All she had to do was speak from her heart as Tara and not as Dr. Knowles. She owed him that. She also owed it to herself. She wanted Jax to see that she had changed.

She saw the change in Jax. When he called Gemma out over her comments about drowning baby girls, he stunned her. He had really ripped into Gemma.

Even after his harsh words to her, Gemma still didn't understand that she was wrong. That was typical Gemma and stupid Gemma just made it worse by trying to blame her.

Gemma left shortly after Jax. Clay looked surprisingly happy. Tara wondered if that were from watching his wife in a cat fight, finding out that he didn't have to share his wife's time with a grandchild or both.

For now, her Jax and Gemma problems could wait. She had an immediate problem on her hands that she had to fix. The fight with Gemma had been bad, but it was made worse because not a damned person called hospital security. She wasn't sure if that was a measure of how much she was disliked or if no one dared do anything because it was the MC.

In the end the why didn't matter. What mattered was how she handled this and she had no idea what she should do. OK. What would old Tara do? She would write a memo to the hospital administrator detailing the fight and naming the hospital staff that failed to follow hospital procedures and call security or she would have an attorney write the letter for her because it would carry more weight. The hospital had a lot of liability in this matter.

She could do that, but if she did, she could end up in a legal proceeding that would involve Gemma. That wouldn't be the way back into Jax's heart. Old Tara's way of handling this wouldn't work.

She didn't know how new Tara would handle this because she never anticipated this kind of problem. She could just let the incident go. She could walk out into the ER and pretend nothing had happened. It was cowardly, but it would get her through the situation.

There had to be another solution. What would a character in a movie or a book do? A strong, assertive female character. There would be that Oscar winning moment when she would take control of the situation.

Tara left the cubicle. She washed her hands and splashed cool water on her face and returned her hair to its neat bun. Her eyes were still a little puffy from crying, but given the hell she'd through, she looked pretty good.

All she needed was the courage to go for her own Oscar winning moment.


	62. Chapter 62

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 62 Bounced**

"Can you believe how Jax talked to me?" Gemma asked Clay.

She opened a beer and handed the bottle to Clay. He was in his recliner. She made herself a gin and tonic and settled herself on the sofa.

Clay was not about to let Gemma off the hook just because Jax had chewed her out a little.

"You deserved it and more," Clay said. "You were in a hospital and you were carrying on like you were in the clubhouse. You embarrassed yourself and the MC."

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Gemma said downing her drink before jumping to her feet. "I just found out my dead grandchild wasn't mine. I think I was entitled."

"That's your fucking problem," Clay said, also getting to his feet. "You think you are entitled to act like you are the fucking queen of Charming. If you want to be the queen, you need to _behave_ like one instead of acting like a crow-eater."

"This was all that bitch Tara's fault. She caused this."

Clay grabbed Gemma by the shoulders.

"Get this _now_ ," he said shaking her. "You are responsible for your actions. Tara didn't make you do a damned thing. You threw the baby into the rocking chair like she was trash. I don't care how much history you have with that bitch. You were wrong."

"She's going to try to get Jax back."

"He's a man, not a little boy."

"She's going to break his heart like she did before."

"Then he'll learn and be stronger for it."

"You don't understand . . ."

"Enough!" Clay shouted, shoving Gemma into the wall so hard she bounced.

Sometimes he had to get physical with Gemma. It was the only thing she understood. 


	63. Chapter 63

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 63 Gifted**

Jax knew that if he hadn't left the room, he would have said more to his mother. Her attitude brought his anger to a white hot fever pitch. She was a mother, yet she had been so callous and cold about the dead baby she'd just held in her arms.

He might have felt more compassion for Gemma if she had just been willing to admit she was out of line for saying baby girls should be drowned at birth. He saw his mother's faults clearly. She lacked any ability for introspection. She didn't see any need to ever change. She thought she should be able to control his life. She also hadn't done herself any good by trying to blame Tara for the words that came out of her own mouth.

Sometimes he thought about leaving Charming to join another SOA chapter to get away from his mother's smothering. He felt he needed to stay because SAMCRO was his father's legacy to him, but there were times when he considered leaving for a few years.

His relationship with Clay was ever evolving. Sometimes it was good and sometimes it was bad. He didn't trust Clay to lead SAMCRO. If he left, he was afraid of what Clay would do to the MC without him providing balance and guidance. He felt trapped in Charming by his mother and SAMCRO.

Jax had one last task left to do before leaving the hospital; he had to tell the guys about the baby's paternity. It never occurred to him to keep the truth from them. He wasn't the first man in history who had been lied to by a woman about a baby's paternity and he wouldn't be the last.

When he told the guys, they were all taken aback, unsure of whether to console him over the baby's loss or congratulate him for not being the dead kid's father. In the end, they just called him "brother" and slapped him on the back.

Chibs suggested going to the clubhouse and getting drunk. Jax told them he needed some time to deal with everything that had happened. He was glad to have their support, but he wanted a little space. He had experienced so many emotions in such a short span of time; he was exhausted.

On the way to his house, he stopped to get cigarettes. He had been trying to quit for the baby. He had gone almost a full week without smoking. He didn't have to quit now.

He had just picked out a candy bar when he saw a display at the end of the third aisle. It was the perfect present for Scarlett. She would love it.

It had been a little tricky figuring out how to get Scarlett's present on his bike, but he used a couple of bungee cords he kept on his bike to fasten the present to his back in an improvised back pack.

He thought when he left the hospital, he wanted alone time. As soon as he saw the perfect present for Scarlett, he realized he didn't want to be alone. He wanted to see Scarlett. Even a couple of minutes with her would make him feel better.

It wasn't too late to drop by her motel room. All the death and betrayal that seemed to have taken months had only taken a little over an hour and a half. She stayed up late, so he wasn't worried about waking her.

Just the idea of seeing Scarlett lifted his mood. She was the only bright spot in his life right now. The more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to spend with her.

He didn't want to talk about what had happened since he saw her. He just wanted to relax and hang out with her for awhile. He also wanted to tell her that he was leaving town for a few days. He was going to pack a bag and head out in the morning. He needed to get away from Gemma.

When he thought of how she had behaved over the baby's death, all his anger at her came flooding back. If he saw her while he was still so angry, he would go off on her again. He kept replaying the way she had tossed Bela into the rocking chair. Each time, his anger grew.

Jax parked his bike and got Scarlett's present. The lights in her room were on. He knocked and waited. No Scarlett. He knocked again. Still no Scarlett. He was disappointed. He had really been looking forward to seeing her.

He began walking to his bike. Suddenly, her door was flung open.

"Jax," Scarlett called.

She was wearing black leggings and a knee length black T-shirt with big emerald green polka dots.

His heart beat faster and he was crazy happy to see her. He was definitely not feeling like his normally cool, confident self.

"You weren't asleep were you?" he asked.

"No. I was brushing my teeth when I heard the knock. It took me awhile to get to the door."

He walked into her room and she closed the door behind him.

"I brought you a present," Jax said. "I even gift wrapped it for you." He pointed to the plastic bags on either end.

"This is exciting," she said.

She removed the bags from the gift and smiled when she saw the present. It was a grabber with a handle at one end and a claw grip at the other.

"It's perfect," she said. "I don't have to worry anymore about how I'm going to pick something up."

"The second I saw it, I thought of you."

"Thank you so much," Scarlett said. She kissed Jax on the cheek. She looked into his eyes and frowned. "Are you OK? You seem different."

"I really don't want to answer questions. I just want to hang out with you for awhile."

"OK. I have one question I need the answer to and then no more questions. Is there any chance this is going to end with a SWAT team blowing my motel room's door off?"

He smiled. Scarlett's mind worked in some interesting ways.


	64. Chapter 64

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 64 Tripled**

Happiness. Finally, happiness! Wendy and her stupid baby were dead. It took that crank whore long enough to use the bad crank. For a few days, she feared that Wendy would try to quit using again and flush the bad crank. She should have had more confidence in the addictive powers of crank.

She had already visited the dealer that had given Wendy the bad crank. The dealer was dead from an overdose of the same tainted crank that killed Wendy. The little thumb bag with the skull and cross bones was right beside her. Even stupid Charming cops should be able to figure that one out.

She had committed three perfect murders. She was a little sad that no one would ever appreciate how efficiently and perfectly she'd killed Wendy, the baby and the drug dealer. Getting away with triple murder would just have to be reward enough.

There was more good news! Gemma and Tara had gotten into some kind of fight at the hospital. It was more than harsh words. The two of them had actually got into a physical fight. What she wouldn't have given to have seen the two of them fighting!

She hoped that Gemma had kicked Tara's ass. She _hated_ Tara. When she was in high school she walked around like she was so much better than everyone. Now that she was not just a doctor but a _surgeon,_ her ego must be out of control.

Tara was such an idiot. Did she really think that anyone would think she was back in Charming because she loved the town? She was just conceited enough to think she was fooling everyone with her doctor's brain. That was the thing with arrogant people like Tara; they always underestimated everyone's intelligence and overestimated their own.

She would allow Tara to live for now. It would be fun watching her humiliate herself chasing after Jax, but when it quit being fun, she would kill her. It wouldn't be a soft death. It would be another bloody murder.


	65. Chapter 65

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 65 Overnighted**

Scarlett opened up the pill bottles and counted out that night's dose. The only time she was pain free was when she took medication at night. She could get through the day pain because she knew she could kill the pain at night and sleep.

It was vital for her mental health to know that she could be pain free. The idea of being in unrelenting pain with no means to kill it, frightened her. Life would no longer be worth living.

Killing the day pain wasn't a great option for her because the pain medication impaired her ability to think. She couldn't drive or do anything that required thought. She could stare blankly at TV. That was about it.

She wasn't looking at days, but weeks before she would be better. If she were brutally honest, it would be months before she would recover completely. Her physical condition helped her keep Jax at a physical distance, but she wasn't sure how long he would be patient.

The knock on her door caught her by surprise. Jax and housekeeping were the only visitors to her room. It was too late for housekeeping and she had just seen Jax earlier. She almost didn't go to her door because she'd been brushing her teeth. Walking to the door was slow and painful. Every small step she took sent jarring pain up her spine. When she opened her motel room door, she was surprised to see Jax walking away.

She was happy to see him again. It was silly to be happy. She'd seen him less than two hours ago. When he told her he had a present for her, she'd been surprised. The grabber had been the perfect present. Some guys went the easy route and brought flowers. Jax's gift was perfect.

He had put thought into it and got her something she needed. It reminded her of the time she'd passed out. He stopped at a convenience store and got her soft drinks to drink before she got out of bed. Those were more romantic gifts to her than a dozen roses.

Something just didn't seem right about Jax. She couldn't put her finger on what was wrong, but he was different. Her intuition was pretty good. Her only big failure was in accepting a marriage proposal from a psycho killer. That had been a huge failure.

She wanted to believe that she'd learned a lesson and would never make that same mistake again, but she was afraid that it might be the kind of mistake she would make over and over again with different men for as long as she could keep herself alive.

She wasn't worried about getting her heart broken. She didn't believe she would ever fall in love. She was worried that she might be a magnet for deranged men. So far, Jax didn't seem dangerously unhinged.

When he said that he wanted to stay for awhile, she was sure that something was wrong. She asked him if SWAT were going to blow up her motel room door.

"No, I'm not running from the law," Jax said. "Your motel room door is safe from being detonated."

"That's a relief. I took my pain meds and sleeping pills about fifteen minutes ago. In maybe ten minutes, twenty minutes or later—I really don't know when, I lose my memory. That means I won't remember anything. While I still have memory, I wanted you to know that. If you want to hang out here, you can."

"I'll leave before you lose your memory," Jax said.

"You don't have to do that," Scarlett said.

She wrapped her arms around Jax's waist and nestled her head against his chest.

"You can stay the night if you like."


	66. Chapter 66

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 66 Confronted**

Walking back into the ER was one of the most difficult things she had done. She was partly embarrassed by the fight she'd gotten into with Gemma and partly she was furious that no one called security.

For the moment, she went about her work as if nothing had happened. The ER would clear out soon. That would be her cue. She wasn't sure she was going to have the courage to confront the staff. She didn't like conflict, but she also didn't like being treated like a doormat.

Tara fought for her career and she would be damned if she would let her co-workers treat her like trash. Her problem was she feared making a fool of herself. She had embarrassed herself a few times before she left Charming. The memories still made her cringe.

If she embarrassed herself, she would get over it sooner or later. If it went spectacularly wrong, she could leave town. She didn't want to do that until she figured out whether she and Jax had a future together. She wondered how long it would take before she knew how she felt about him.

Suppose she decided she wasn't in love with Jax. What would that mean? Would she leave town or would she stay and see if she and Jax could fall back in love?

Of course, there had to be an additional complication—that blonde Scarlett. She was pretty and he had definitely watched her when she was talking to David Hale. Jax liked girls. She would always face competition for him.

Her stomach twisted into knots as the ER's last patient left. She was either going to stay a mouse or confront her co-workers. She wished she could see what the outcome was going to be before she made the decision.

Finally, she decided she was going to stand up for herself. Her back-up plan if she screwed up was to live through the embarrassment. In the worst case, she would leave town, sell her father's house and use the money for living expenses until she found a good job. She always needed the security of having at least one back-up plan.

Tara walked over to the microphone and flipped it on.

"I have an announcement to make," Tara said.

Nurses, doctors and a couple of orderlies turned to face Tara.

"My name is Dr. Tara Knowles in case a couple of you might have forgotten. I know a couple of you from high school. You weren't nice to me then, but I had hoped you might have grown up. You got older, but that's about it."

Two nurses muttered under their breath.

"What was that? Would you like to say what you were whispering to yourself?" Tara asked.

The two women glared at Tara and remained silent.

"Tonight, I was attacked and was forced to defend myself. What did my co-workers and ER team-mates do? Rush to the door to watch, or do nothing?"

Some looked down at their feet while others looked in Tara's direction, but were unsettled by being called out and couldn't look her in the eye.

"Steve, Dan and Buddy all watched the two fight rounds. Could any of you explain why you thought that it was OK for a doctor to get attacked while you watched? Were you confused? Did you have a psychotic break and think you were watching a fight on TV? Why didn't any one of the three of you follow procedure and call security?"

One of the men continued to look at his feet while the other two men looked at a wall.

"What was that?"

None of the men said anything. Instead they shuffled their feet. One studied his fingernails and his black cool guy wannabe nail polish.

Suddenly Tara realized that this was less an Oscar winning moment when the heroine makes her big award winning speech and more like the teacher scolding her naughty class.

"This will not happen again. Are we clear?" Tara asked. She went around the room and asked each person that question.

Most of her co-workers gave her an embarrassed nod, a couple of them apologized, but no one challenged her. She had won the war and she hadn't even had to threaten to sue the hospital.

"Now that we are clear, I am going to take my meal break."

With that, Tara flipped the microphone off and headed to the hospital cafeteria. She might not win an Academy Award, but she was proud of herself and new Tara.


	67. Chapter 67

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 67 Smacked**

Gemma knew that sometimes men hit their women to keep them in line. It was part of the biker world. In that world, men were men. They weren't like all the sensitive pussies that filled up all the romance movies on Lifetime or Hallmark channel. Those men were so emasculated they might as well have been dickless.

Secretly she kind of liked it when Clay asserted his dominance. He'd only slammed her against the wall a couple of times. Now, the domestic violence laws were so crazy, a harmless shove could get a person arrested. That was what was wrong in the world—men not being allowed to take their natural place as the head of their families.

Men needed to be strong. Clay was a strong man. Stronger than JT who was a little too sensitive brooding male for her taste. She was concerned that Jax was too much like his father. She and Clay needed to toughen up Jax.

She was worried now that Princess Tara had returned to the kingdom; Jax would end up pussy-whipped. She had almost taken Jax away from her when she left town the first time. If Tara thought she could swoop in and take Jax, Gemma would teach her a harder lesson than the beat down at the hospital. She was willing to do _anything_ to save Jax from her.

She loved her father, but he was a weak man. Her mother walked all over him. There were countless times when she had wanted to shake him, tell him to grow a backbone and stand up to her mother. Her mother had no respect for her father. She loved him, but she had no respect for him either. He was too weak.

Her father chose her mother over her when he made the decision to leave Charming. He knew she didn't want to go, but he picked her mother over his daughter. He loved her mother more than he did her. That would be the last time she came second in a man's life.

She wanted her husband to be a strong man. JT had started out as the strong man she needed in her life, but by the end, he was a pussy. She didn't respect him. She despised him and all his sensitive brooding weakness.

Her son would never turn out like that. She would do whatever it took to make sure Jax wasn't the weak loser JT had been at the end of his life. JT had to be killed. He was too weak to be allowed to lead SAMCRO and to be her husband.

Clay had killed JT for her. That's what real men did—they took care of business and JT had to go.

Gemma shook her head. If she had been able to see that Jax would develop this hero worship of JT, she and Clay would have planned his death to show him for the weak, coward he was at the end of his life. There was nothing heroic about JT.


	68. Chapter 68

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 68 Exhausted**

If any other woman had told him he could stay the night, he would have assumed that meant sex. He didn't think that's what Scarlett had in mind.

She had released him from the hug and was looking at him with those dark green eyes that were so beautiful.

"Where would I sleep? The love seat?"

"No. It's a king sized bed."

"So what's behind this invitation?" he asked as he carefully studied her face. "You told me that you were never going to sleep with me."

"Well, when I said I would never sleep with you, I actually meant sex," she said with a smile.

"So the invitation is just sleep."

She nodded.

"Why?"

"I know there's something wrong. I don't know what it is and I'm not asking questions because I agreed not to ask you anything. You've been really kind to me and I think you need a little kindness now."

Spending a chaste night with Scarlett would be an improvement over going home to his house alone. He enjoyed her company even without sex.

"You aren't worried that now that I know about your memory loss, I'll take advantage of you?"

"If I were worried, I wouldn't have made the invitation. When I first met you, I thought you were a womanizer. Now that I know you a little better, I think you just really enjoy the company of a women. I think that when men hurt or attack women, they hate and want to control them. You aren't like that.

"You have also been incredibly kind to me. You came to check on me when you thought I might be dead, you caught me and carried me to my bed when I passed out, you got me soft drinks to help my blood sugar levels, you've gone walking with me to help me with my back and you brought me that grabber so I have a way to pick up something if I dropped it."

"I'm practically a saint," Jax said with a grin.

"There's another reason you wouldn't try to sleep with me; you want a woman to remember you. You might not remember her face, but you expect her to remember you."

Jax laughed.

"You have a point there."

"Also, when you take pain meds, the drug doesn't just kill pain. It also keeps a woman from experiencing the full pleasure of sex."

"You wouldn't be able to enjoy the full Jax Teller sex experience. That would be tragic. I guess I'm just going to have to keep working on thawing you out. You are thawing, aren't you?"

"A bit," she admitted.

"Good. I think I'll stay tonight. In the morning, I'm taking a trip on my bike for a few days to clear my head."

"My stepfather has a vacation house on a lake about two hours from here. It's a nice house with some great views. You can swim in the lake and hang out on the deck. If you don't mind me tagging alone, you could go there. You can have all the alone time you want. I don't need you to entertain me. I just need you to drive and load my car."

Jax thought about her offer. If he went off on his bike, he knew that he would enjoy riding and at night he'd end up in a bar somewhere looking for a girl. In short, it would be similar to the way he spent almost every day and night.

Spending a couple of days at a lake enjoying nature would give him a change of scenery and he would get a chance to get to know Scarlett better.

"I'd like to go to the lake house and I like that you are coming along."

"Great. When I got toothbrushes today, it was a two pack, so there's an unused toothbrush if you want it. I always watch DVDs before I sleep. If you want to watch TV, that's fine with me."

Jax made use of the new toothbrush. By the time he finished, Scarlett was in bed on the very edge.

"I really don't need that much room."

"I'm kind of like a turtle when it gets turned on its back. I can't rollover unless I use my arms. The back and ab muscles don't work. I sleep on the edge of the bed because it makes it easier and less painful when I have to get up."

"OK, I won't take it personally. Since I'm here, if you need help just tell me."

"I will," Scarlett promised.

"You really can ask."

"I know."

"Just ask."

"OK. I just hate being helpless and being a burden."

"You aren't a burden. Now, what are we watching on your laptop."

" _Malcolm in the Middle_. It's a family comedy. Some of the episodes are really funny and some aren't. I'm watching a couple of my favorites. The first one is they go to a zoo."

Jax adjusted the laptop so they could both see it.

After the day he had, he didn't think he could laugh at anything, but the show was funny, especially when one of the boys tried to fistfight a goat. The youngest brother couldn't understand how his brother could be unhappy since they were at a zoo and he had a popsicle. Jax liked that message. He realized he needed to find those small moments of happiness and enjoy them.

By the time he fell asleep, he knew he had been right to come see Scarlett. He was already starting to feel more optimistic about the future and thawing out Scarlett was part of his plan.


	69. Chapter 69

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 69 Converted**

Jax looked surprisingly unrumpled considering he'd slept in his clothes. He watched as Scarlett finished putting her clothes in a suitcase.

Scarlett still felt there was something off about Jax. It wasn't as obvious, but there was definitely something wrong. Her first stepfather would have told her that this was the time to move in on Jax when he seemed off balance. He had been a master manipulator of people including her mother.

"What was the last thing you remember from last night?" Jax asked.

"I remember you gave me the gun from under the pillow and I put it in my suitcase. We watched DVDs. The last scene I remember was the goat flying through the air."

"You were awake for about twenty minutes after that."

"I didn't do anything embarrassing, did I?"

"You took off your clothes and demanded that I have sex with you. Being a perfect gentleman, I knew that you were too impaired to give informed consent. I turned you down and you cried into your pillow heartbroken."

Scarlett tilted her head back and laughed. She quickly wrapped her arms around her waist to lessen the pain laughing caused.

"I like the informed consent part. Even drunk, I've never taken off my clothes."

"You were overcome by my charm."

"Ouch! Quit making me laugh," Scarlett scolded.

"Do you have everything?"

"I've got everything. Just my suitcases, my laptop in its case and my hand bag need to go in my car. I already checked out. I was thinking that we could put the top down on my car. It wouldn't be as much fun as riding on a motorcycle, but it's better than leaving the top up and we don't have to wear helmets."

"OK."

"Could you help with my hair? It will get really tangled if I don't do something with it."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Just put it in a ponytail."

"High? Low? Medium?"

Scarlett grinned.

"I love that you have hair styling skills. I'd like a high ponytail, please."

Scarlett took the hair elastic she had around her wrist and handed it to Jax.

He gathered her hair and put it in a high ponytail.

"That's perfect. Could you just tuck the ends into the elastic?"

"Like in a bun?"

Scarlett nodded.

Jax tucked the ends of her hair under the elastic before he put his arm across her shoulders and leaned close.

"Did you really think I wouldn't catch on to what you are doing?" Jax said in a husky growl.

Scarlett opened her eyes wide, trying for a look of bewildered innocence.

"I don't know what you are talking about," she protested.

"You mocked my man bun," he whispered. "You are doing it again. You are a very naughty girl, Scarlett."

Scarlett drew her eyebrows together and frowned.

"Jax, I really don't understand."

"You're overplaying the dumb blonde thing."

The look in his laser blue eyes made her heart race. She could feel his warm breath on her neck. This man might be dangerous in a way she'd never experienced.

"Damn. I never really thought it was possible to act too dumb."

"The problem is I know you aren't dumb."

"Most men never figure that out."

"Do you really think I'm like most men?"

She was glad that he still had his arm across her shoulders because she was feeling a little weak in the knees.

"Ummm . . ."

Jax distracted her by brushing his lips along the back of her neck.

"Definitely not like most men," she whispered.

"I also know that your injury doesn't affect your hair styling ability. You can reach up, but you can't reach or bend down."

"How do you know that?"

"I saw you brush your hair and I've been watching you."

"You are good," she said admiringly. "You are right about my injury too. I just wanted to have a _little_ man bun fun."

"You will pay for that later as soon as I figure out a price."

"Higher or lower than the loofahing?"

"Higher," he said as he released her.

"Oh, damn," she said. "How about a heart felt apology instead?"

"That's no where near good enough."

He grinned that bright Jax Teller grin that had melted women's hearts since birth.


	70. Chapter 70

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 70 Blessed**

The blonde whore with the red Porsche had left town. She'd checked out of her motel. She didn't have to worry about Jax falling in love with her anymore. Good riddance to that whore. Jax had just used her for sex the way some people used toilet paper.

She frowned wondering if her toilet paper comparison made sense. What the hell! She didn't have to make sense when she thought. She was special. She didn't have to think like everyone else.

Tara had gotten in a fistfight with Gemma at the hospital. Everyone knew how much the two of them hated each other. It was inevitable that it would break out in violence sooner or later. She just wished she could have seen Gemma kick Tara's ass. She might be so embarrassed about the fight at her job, that she could even leave Charming for good and never come back. It didn't look like Tara was going to be much of a threat to her future plans with Jax.

She could never understand how Jax could love Tara. She didn't have much of a personality. She was boring, too serious and stuck up. Charmless. She always thought of Tara as charmless.

Tara only got her claws into Jax because she met him in high school and he didn't have much experience with girls yet. He didn't know that Tara wasn't that high a quality girl. If today's Tara had to compete for today's Jax, she wouldn't stand a chance in hell.

The road to Jax's heart was clear. She smiled thinking of the day when Jax would see her for her true self. He would hold her, kiss her and tell her he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her.

She shouldn't have to keep killing women now that she was going to be getting together with Jax. She didn't count Wendy, the baby or the drug dealer as killings. They weren't fun. Those were just to get Jax free and cover her trail.

If she had known that she wouldn't be killing anymore, she would have enjoyed the last one more. She really shouldn't kill anymore.

Killing was supposed to be wrong. She didn't think killing was wrong when the right person did it to the right people. She wasn't like everyone else. She was special. She deserved special treatment for all that she had gone through.

She decided that she should just keep her eyes open in case she met someone or saw someone who needed killing. That would be a sign that God wanted her to act. He would put her next victim in her path if she were supposed to kill again.

She would answer God's orders and kill. It was her duty to the world.


	71. Chapter 71

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 71 Stalked**

Tara found out from David Hale where Jax was living. It was only a few blocks from where she was living in her deceased father's house. She wanted to fix things from the night before when she made the monumental mistake of telling Jax the baby was dead before telling him he wasn't the baby's father.

She was hoping if she took a walk around the neighborhood, she would bump into him. She needed to fix her mistake. As for the fight with Gemma, she decided not to bring it up.

Her timing couldn't have been worse. Scarlett pulled her car now with its top down into Jax's driveway. He came out of the house carrying a duffel bag. She was three houses down. She couldn't turn around unnoticed.

Jax threw his bag into the trunk and then helped Scarlett out of the driver's seat. She watched as Scarlett walked stiffly around to the passenger's side and Jax helped her into the seat. Tara began to wonder if Scarlett were permanently disabled. Jax didn't seem to mind helping her.

Jax had such a strong, tough side to him, his gentle side always surprised her. She loved that contrast in him. It was what kept him from turning into a violent, mindless thug like Tig.

"Hi, Tara," Jax said.

"Good morning," Tara said, trying to look surprised that she'd found him. "Do you live here?"

"I do. You remember Scarlett."

The two women nodded to each other.

"I didn't know you lived so close to me."

"Surprising," Jax said.

There was a little mockery in his voice. Tara knew that Jax didn't believe for a second that she had just happened to run into him. She might as well wear a T-shirt that said "Official Jax Teller Stalker".

For a few seconds she felt humiliated that she had made it so obvious that she wanted Jax back. She'd moved back to Charming. It didn't get much more apparent than that. Walking past his house was minor in comparison.

"Scarlett and I are getting out of town for a few days," Jax said.

"I hope you have fun," Tara said stiffly. "How are you doing?" Tara said to Scarlett. "I noticed you are still having trouble physically. I could help you find a doctor."

Tara thought it was a stroke of genius. She would pretend she wanted to help Scarlett.

"I appreciate the offer, but I messed my back up and soft tissue injuries take forever to heal."

"You could try oral steroids or steroid injections with some physiotherapy. It could speed up the healing."

Tara wanted Scarlett to get well soon, so Jax wouldn't feel he had to take care of her.

"I've tried steroids. Physio might help, but only if there's a really great place to go. For now, I'm using my physio program from the last time this happened to me."

"If you change your mind or need a medical referral, you can reach me at the hospital or at my house. Jax has the number. It hasn't changed."

"Thanks."

Tara continued on her walk. She thought she might have been successful in making it look like she just happened to be on a walk.

Jax backed out of the driveway and drove past her. Jax and Scarlett gave her a wave.

She realized she still loved Jax. Seeing him with Scarlett going off for a few days reminded her of all the days in high school when she had seen other girls with him. She used to wonder if he would ever notice her.

One day, he noticed her. He still went with other girls, but those girls came and went and she was the only one who remained.

That was exactly what was going to happen now. Scarlett could have a few days with Jax, but in the end, it would be just like high school and she would be the one with him at the end. It was their destiny.


	72. Chapter 72

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 72 Ditched**

Four years. It had been four fucking years ago today that she left him at the altar. The passing of time had done nothing to lessen the rage he felt when he remembered that day.

He opened the bottom drawer and picked up the picture of her in her wedding gown and veil. It was one of a series of pictures taken to test hair and make-up for the wedding. Every day, he tore up the picture and the next day, there would be the same picture back in place ready to be torn up again thanks to his assistant.

Tearing up the picture wouldn't be enough to calm him today. Before he began destroying his office, his long-time assistant walked into the room.

"You have good news?" he asked him.

"We're working a lead."

"Where?"

"California."

He looked down at her picture in her wedding gown and all he could think of was how much he was going to enjoy hurting her over and over again.

"It's just a matter of time," he said to the picture. "Hurting you is going to feel so good."


	73. Chapter 73

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 73 Broken Hearted**

Jax noticed the look on Tara's face when he told her that he and Scarlett were going away for a few days. He remembered that look from all the times she'd watched him go off with whatever girl he was pursuing at the moment back in high school. He didn't love her anymore, but he took no pleasure in hurting her either.

He had learned to cope with heartbreak by just not thinking about Tara. Having her back in town was opening the door to memories and feelings he wanted to stay buried. He was afraid that might not be possible.

"I don't think I've ever been this happy to get out of town," Jax said as he backed Scarlett's car out of the driveway.

"Am I still banned from asking questions?"

"You can ask questions as long as they don't have anything to do with what happened between the time I left you at your motel to the time I returned. I'll tell you about it later."

"OK. I thought it was nice of Tara to offer me medical advice."

"I think Tara is enjoying the power of being a doctor."

"She spent a long time in school. I don't blame her for wanting to enjoy her doctor's position a little bit."

The girls he went out with were all quick to bad mouth each other. Jax liked that Scarlett didn't do that.

"Is something wrong? You keep looking in the passenger's side mirror."

"I think there's a white Honda following us. Could you put up the roof? I don't like feeling this exposed," Scarlett said.

Jax made a couple of turns.

"Still being followed?"

She shook her head.

"No. I'm just really jumpy today. I realized that this is the fourth anniversary of what would have been my wedding day."

"What happened?"

"I left him at the altar."

"You told me that you never fall in love," Jax said.

"I don't. I wasn't in love with him."

"Why were you going to marry him?"

"My stepfather—I actually call him dad—suggested it. He told me that I might as well marry a rich man as a poor one. It sounds cold-blooded, but it wasn't really. He is about ten years older and I'd only been out of college a couple of years. He was so much more mature than the college guys I was used to.

"He also had a lot of money and showered me with gifts and stuff. It was great. We were happy together. When he proposed, I accepted because I saw this idyllic life for us."

"What happened?"

"I started to see the truth about him. I don't know if those clues were there and I didn't see them or if once I agreed to marry him, he let his guard down and I saw behind his façade."

Jax didn't think any less of Scarlett for deciding to marry a wealthy man. He liked that she admitted it. He couldn't fault her for marrying when she wasn't in love. He hadn't been in love with Wendy.

"What was that truth?"

"He was charming and wonderful as long as he got what he wanted. He also hated it if I pointed out he was wrong about something. He would come unhinged. It could be something as simple as a typo in a document.

"Sitting here it's hard to believe how someone could get upset over something as simple as someone else pointing out a typo, but he would just start yelling. Once he swept everything off his desk onto the floor. I told my dad that I had a bad feeling about the guy."

"I'm assuming this was after the engagement."

"Yes. My dad did some more investigation. A previous girlfriend and an ex-fiancée both vanished mysteriously. The girlfriend finally turned up dead. She had been tortured and cut up alive."


	74. Chapter 74

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 74 Hunted**

Jax looked at Scarlett shocked by her words. Her ex-fiancé having a girlfriend that disappeared and another who was found in pieces wasn't a good omen for Scarlett's marital future with him.

"You think he killed her?"

"Yes. The cutting up of the body while she was still alive is exactly the kind of thing that he would do."

Scarlett's face was deathly pale. She couldn't tell him why she was so sure that her ex had been the one to cut up his former fiancée. There might come a time in the future, but she couldn't tell him yet.

"What do you think happened to his fiancée?"

"I don't know. Her parents filed a missing persons report, but the investigation went no where. I hope that she's running from him and her parents filed the missing persons report so it would look like they don't know where she is."

"It's too bad your stepdad didn't learn all this before you got involved with him."

"He feels very guilty about that. My ex had a high level government job, so I knew the guy was a crook on some level; I just didn't think it went as far as murder."

Jax chuckled.

"You are right about the high level government job and being a crook. The two go hand in hand a lot of the time."

"I was out of my mind with fear when my dad told me."

Scarlett's words understated her reaction. Her hands actually shook so hard she dropped the phone. Her stomach was in knots and she couldn't eat for almost a week. Even now, she still felt overwhelmed with fear when she thought about him.

"It's different because he has money. I don't have to just look for him. He will hire a team to come after me and kidnap me. He'll keep me and torture me until I'm dead or he's tired of it. Then he'll kill me. Or maybe he'd sell or give me to a sex trafficking ring. I can imagine him watching me being raped on video.

"I can't let him take me alive. That's why I need to have a gun with me at all times."

For the first time since he met her, he saw the lighthearted happy girl in the red Corvette vanish and a scared, vulnerable woman appear.

"What did you do?"

"My father and I thought that I could change my behavior and make him want to break off the engagement. We thought he only killed when he got dumped. I tried to be as annoying as possible, but it didn't work. He just got angry and now that I knew what happened to those two girls, I was too scared to continue to provoke him.

"Around this time, I started trying to find a way out. He didn't amass his fortune working for the government. I knew he had to be making money illegally in his legal business. I was right, but the evidence wasn't hard enough to prove it.

"I could have called a news conference and made the charges with minimal proof. I thought about doing that, but he has so much money and power, I knew that he would still win. He would say that I was unstable and he would produce records that would back that up. Everyone has a price and he would find it.

"He would pay doctors that I'd never seen in my life to say that I was being treated for a variety of mental problems and they would say they couldn't reveal more because of the privacy laws. When you have enough money and power, you can reinvent someone's past. I would disappear and there might have been suspicion that he was behind it, but he'd get through it and I'd be tortured or dead."

"Is Scarlett your real name?"

"It's a family nickname I had when I was little. He doesn't know it. When I was born, I had thick black hair and green eyes. My mother loved the book "Gone With the Wind" and I had the same hair and eye color as the heroine, so she nicknamed me Scarlett."

"How long has it been?"

"Four years."

"Have you thought about killing him?"

"Many times. The problem is he always has security with him. I thought about poisoning him. I didn't think I could get away with it. My final plan was to get out of marrying him."

"You were a runaway bride."

"No, I was a bride escaping. He always had security around me. I know they would have stopped me leaving him. As the wedding date got closer and closer, I had a feeling that I wasn't going to live through the honeymoon."

"Were you pretending that nothing was wrong?"

"Yeah, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do. Every time he touched me, I wanted to throw up. About two weeks before the wedding, I told him that I thought we should be apart until the wedding. That helped because I didn't have to have sex with him anymore, but I still had security guarding me."

"How did you get away?"

"My father and I faked a big huge fight a couple of days before the wedding. We were getting married in Florida and most of the people I knew lived in Texas. My father and my best friend were the only two guests for my side. With the fight, I was down to just my maid of honor. I told him that I wanted to be alone in the limo ride to the chapel because I wanted to savor that moment and think about how happy I was to be his bride.

"I had been complaining about nausea for a couple of weeks. I made myself throw up a couple of times. I told the limo driver that I needed ginger ale, crackers and tissues. He had to stop and get them for me. I couldn't go into the store in my big, fluffy wedding gown and veil.

"As soon as he went into the store, I got out of the limo and into a car where my father was waiting for me. We changed cars a couple of times and of course I changed clothes.

"He was standing at the altar waiting for me in front of his friends and business associates. He would have been humiliated when the driver called to tell him that I wasn't in the car.

"Those first few days were terrifying beyond belief. My father and I took every precaution we could think of including changing our appearance."

"Do you know what he told people when you didn't show up?"

"He said that I had been troubled and he feared for my safety. He then asked for privacy during this time. More news happened and this got forgotten by everyone except those involved in it."

Scarlett didn't tell him everything because she would fall apart. There were some things that were too horrible to ever tell.


	75. Chapter 75

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 75 Targeted**

This was supposed to be her time to get close to Jax and get him to see the person she was behind the façade. If Jax could only see how beautiful she was on the inside, Jax would fall in love with her and they could begin their lives together.

Where the hell was Jax? She drove all over town and went by TM and the clubhouse. No Jax. And _no one_ knew where he was.

How the fuck did something like that happen? Even Gemma didn't know where he was and that had never happened before.

How could Jax just be gone? What if he had been jumped by Mayans and was lying somewhere injured and bleeding? He might need rescuing.

Her heart grew cold. It just occurred to her that maybe Jax left town with someone. Which was worse? Jax being injured and possibly bleeding to death or Jax being off with some girl?

She went to Jax's house and looked through the window on the side door into the garage. Jax's bike was parked inside. He had gone off with someone.

She returned home. She didn't have to think very hard before she realized that Jax had left town with that blonde whore.

Son of a bitch! She thought she was finally rid of the blonde whore. She had taken Jax out of town with her. That had never happened before. Jax hooked up with girls when he was out of town or hooked up with girls while he was in town. He never took a trip with a girl!

What the hell did the blonde whore have that Jax hadn't found in other girls before her? How long was he going to be gone? What if he liked being with her so much he never came back?

That couldn't happen. Jax would never leave Gemma forever. She took a couple of deep calming breaths. For a moment there, she thought she was going to have a heart attack or pass out.

She wasn't going to kill anymore, but that was before Jax left town with that blonde whore. Someone would have to die now. She needed that physical release and she needed to punish Jax for leaving town with the blonde whore.

OK. The girl she killed needed to be someone Jax liked. Convenience store Louise would be perfect. Jax liked her. He thought of her as a nice girl and not the type of girl you screw and leave. That was why he had never made a move on her.

Her death would hit him and that's what he deserved for leaving town with the blonde whore. Louise's death was Jax's fault. He was making her do it with his behavior.

She was going to savor the bloodiness of the kill this time and enjoy the terror on Louise's pretty blonde face. And Jax would feel bad that Louise was dead—not bad enough to try to find her killer, but bad enough to hurt.

She decided to stalk her for a few days and really savor the experience. This could be the last time she killed. It _should_ be the last time she killed unless God wanted her to kill or someone made her kill like Jax was doing now.

She would enjoy watching Louise going about her boring little life while she knew that it was going to end soon.

She wondered what Louise would do if she knew that she only had a few days to live. How would she spend them?

Poor doomed Louise, she thought. Then she laughed.


	76. Chapter 76

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 76 Confessed**

Jax was shocked by Scarlett's confession. He had this image of her as this fun-loving, bubbly girl that had never been touched by any great tragedy. It showed just how far off he was about her or, maybe it showed how well she could hide the harsh truths of her past.

"Now, I get the whole gun thing," Jax said.

"No one ever thinks that rich people are criminally insane. Money gives them immunity to problems like that. That and they can hire mental health professionals to treat them around the clock and drug them into appearing normal."

"I get why you couldn't fight him. Even if you could prove that he was guilty of all kinds of crimes, he could still have you killed. He'd get a team of lawyers and they would probably get him off."

"Yeah, we really don't have equal justice here. It's a theory but some can afford the best legal minds in the country and others get public defenders with little experience, it's not a fair fight."

"Do you think he will ever just let it go and quit coming after you?"

"It sounds horrible, but sometimes I hope that he'll find another girl to be with and let things go with me. My father and I have talked about faking our deaths, but he was the resources to investigate that. I'm sure he would send a team to get the DNA from our dead bodies. It would take a lot of planning and we would have to get more people involved. That makes it dangerous for them and us."

"If you can get him arrested and then fake your deaths, he might be so busy trying to stay out of prison that he would just accept that you and your father were dead."

"That's still going to be hard because getting the proof isn't going to be easy. I was watching a TV show and in this one folder, they had all the info to get this corrupt judge arrested. It's no where near that easy in real life. My father made me realize that the best thing I can do is be happy. My ex wants me to be miserable and I'm not going to let him destroy my future. He can stay locked in the past, brooding and obsessing over me. I'm not going to live my life like that."

Scarlett directed Jax through a series of getting off and getting on the freeway. She was watching for surveillance.

Jax had been watching for anyone following them since Scarlett had thought they might have been followed earlier. Now that he knew of her past, he understood why she was so careful about security.

"No one is following us, at least not that I can tell. I know that first rate surveillance is done with multiple cars. I'm just on edge because it's the fourth anniversary. If he knew I was in Charming, he would have taken me. Sometimes the fear overwhelms my common sense."

"I think you are brave. You aren't hiding in some remote cabin. You are out trying to live your life."

"Thanks. I usually do a better job of not letting my past haunt me. This is just a bad day. I know you are going through something bad too. Notice, I'm not asking you questions."

"Clever," Jax said.

What he was going through with Wendy and the baby would soon be in the past. What Scarlett was going through was something she had to live with every single day of her life. He admired her for the way she was handling the situation. There was a lot of emotional strength behind that beautiful exterior.

"When I left you at your motel the first time, I had a soon-to-be ex-wife and an unborn baby. When I returned less than two hours later, I didn't have a soon-to-be ex and an unborn baby."

Jax watched as Scarlett chewed her lip.

"It's really hard not to ask questions," she said.

"You motivated me. I decided to see Wendy and figure things out about the baby. I found her on the floor unconscious. I called paramedics and she was rushed to the hospital. Guess who was one of the doctors on duty?"

"Tara. She's the only doctor's name I know, so it wasn't a hard question."

"She was there. I called my mother. She and some of the guys from the MC met me at the hospital.

"Wendy didn't make it. Tara told me they suspected the crank was cut with something toxic. She felt that if Wendy had a simple overdose, she would have made it. They are going to do an autopsy on Wendy. They delivered the baby.

"In addition to being early, the crank had caused problems for the baby. The baby died."

"I'm so sorry," Scarlett said.

"Thanks. Tara had one last surprise for me. In high school, she and I gave blood for a blood drive my MC puts on every year. She remembered my blood type from the drive. She looked at the baby's blood type and realized I couldn't have been the father."

"She told you about the death before the paternity?"

"Yeah. That was bad enough, but then she and my mother got into a physical fight at the hospital. They've never really gotten along."

"Was the baby a boy or a girl?"

"A girl. Wendy and I had decided on Abel for a boy and Bela for a girl."

"Same letters, just a different arrangement. I like that."

"They are going to do an autopsy on the baby too."

"That's awful. Poor little baby."

"Unloved, unwanted and now dead," Jax said. "Tara said under the law that I'm presumed to be the father and I would need to talk to an attorney about how to deal with the paternity issue."

"It may have some ramifications on who pays for the baby's medical bills too."

"I get health insurance from work and Wendy and the baby are covered."

"That makes it easier. Do you think Wendy knew the baby wasn't yours?"

"Based on how far along she was in her pregnancy, Wendy knew."

"I don't fully understand how you feel or how your mother feels. I keep picturing a little baby's body in a cold drawer at the hospital's morgue. She's known no love in her short little life. Maybe you let her carry your name because Bela deserves a little compassion.

"You would be sort of saying that you are sorry that she's dead. Your baby or not, she deserves a little kindness. Be a better man and give the baby your last name, not because she's yours but because you're sorry that she didn't live."

"That makes a lot of sense," Jax said. "I've just been so angry at Wendy for overdosing and lying about the baby's paternity. You make a lot of sense."

Jax surprised himself by agreeing with Scarlett, but it was the least he could do for poor little Bela.

He knew he would have a battle on his hands with Gemma. She would oppose the idea of giving the baby the "Teller" last name because the baby had no Teller blood, but it was his decision. He was an adult. He didn't need his mother making decisions for him.

He had a feeling that he and Gemma were going to clash more frequently.


	77. Chapter 77

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 77 Phoned**

Gemma was furious and it wasn't about a couple of shoves into the walls courtesy of Clay. She had called Jax's home phone all night and he hadn't picked up the phone once.

The next morning, she called his house and he still didn't pick up the phone. She tried his cell phone at least a dozen times and it went straight to voice mail.

Jax told Clay he was going to take a couple of days to clear his head. That was fine, but that didn't mean he didn't have to tell her where he was going. She was his mother and he damned well better check in with her.

Gemma drove by Tara's house. She was sure she would see her son's bike parked outside Tara's house. It wasn't there.

She couldn't decide if his bike not being parked at Tara's house was good news or bad news. She was glad that he wasn't with Dr. Loser Tara, but she would have been at least a little relieved that he was somewhere.

If Jax were outside Charming riding his bike, he could run into enemies of the MC. He wouldn't be safe.

She drove her car over to his house and went inside. She had hoped that he might be sleeping and he'd turned the phone's ringer off. No Jax.

The T-Shirt Hut had finished silk-screening some MC T-shirts. The club sold them to make extra money and promote the club. Yesterday afternoon, she'd dropped off a couple and put them on Jax's bed neatly folded. One of the T-shirts was missing.

Gemma walked into the garage and found Jax's bike. She thought Jax might have gone out running. She spent the next hour cleaning his house while she waited for him to come back from his run. After almost an hour and a half, there was still no Jax.

Could someone have taken Jax? Maybe he came home, put on a clean T-shirt from the pile on the bed and then been kidnapped.

There weren't any signs of a struggle. She knew her son wouldn't have just gone with a kidnapper. He would have fought. He had to have gone off with someone voluntarily.

Gemma thought about calling and taking a quick inventory of the crow-eaters. Maybe he was with one of them. Before she could pick up the phone, Clay walked in and sat down on the couch with a can of orange Fanta.

"Do you know where Jax is?" Gemma demanded.

"No. He said he was taking a couple of days off. You heard him say that," Clay said impatiently.

"His bike's home, but he isn't," Gemma said.

"Sometimes people drive cars and they have passengers," Clay said sarcastically.

"I know that," Gemma snapped. "Do you know who he might be with?"

"I'm so fucking sick of this," Clay said angrily. "He's a fucking adult. _Treat him like one_ ," Clay shouted. Clay had one hand around the orange Fanta and the other balled into a fist.

"I'll check with the guys," she said and left the TM office quickly.

It only took her a few minutes to check with the guys. She stayed out in the garage to give Clay some time to cool down.

He didn't know what it was like to have a child. It didn't matter that Jax was grown. It made it worse because there was more danger for adult Jax.

Gemma called Jax's home and cell phone again. Still no answer. She felt sick inside. Something must have happened to him.

Losing Thomas almost killed her. She couldn't bear losing Jax too. And it wasn't as though she had a grandchild that could carry on everything she had built.

She didn't grieve over the grandchild that wasn't hers. Babies died every day. She didn't cry over them. This was the same thing. Just another dead baby.

It was good that Wendy died because she would have really fucked her up for lying about Jax being the baby's father. She hoped wherever Jax was, he was making better decisions than the one he made when he married crank whore Wendy.

Gemma just had a thought that made her blood run cold—Jax was a widower now. That meant he could get married. He didn't have to wait until his divorce was final.

What if some girl got her hooks into Jax and convinced him to marry her? He was so emotionally vulnerable now; he wasn't thinking straight.

OK. She might be making herself crazy and she was overreacting. Jax was safe and unmarried. Probably.

Gemma called Jax's home phone and left a message asking that he call her. She also called his cell and left the same message.

When Jax finally checked in with her, there would be hell to pay.

 **Author's Note: When I got the idea for this story, I wanted it to be different from the SOA fanfics that I write under a different name. This story is more like a TV show because it has short scenes. Each chapter is from one character's POV.**

 **I've designed it for it to be read in bursts. You have a couple of minutes and you can read a couple of chapters.**

 **This is an AU. Some of SOA's plot lines will be used and not necessarily in sequence.**


	78. Chapter 78

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 78 Stored**

She stopped by the convenience store to get a candy bar and a bag of potato chips. She had really stopped by to see Louise. Now that she had selected her, she wanted to savor the feeling of power that came with killing. Having the power of life or death over someone was like being God only without having to listen to a bunch of stupid prayers.

"You ever worry about working here? Convenience stores can be dangerous."

Louise smiled and shook her head.

"It's Charming. It's a safe city. You know that."

"I do."

The reason Charming was a safe city was because the bodies were dumped outside the city limits. No one ever looked at where the killing was actually done. Stupid cops.

It really wasn't hard to outwit the cops when the police department was headed by bumbling, drunk Unser. As for Hale, he wasn't nearly as smart as he thought. The county cops were even less competent, which seemed almost impossible.

She paid for her purchases and shoved the change into a pocket of her jeans.

"Don't work too hard," she said with a smile.

"I've got a paper I have to write for history."

"It's summer."

"I'm taking a summer class at Charming JC."

"Good for you," she said.

For a few moments, she thought about Louise spending some of her last precious time alive writing a paper for a class that she would never finish.

It was almost sad. Not sad enough to change her plans for Louise's death. This murder was on Jax. He shouldn't have left town with the blonde whore.

The only thing she needed to decide was whether she would kill Louise tonight or tomorrow.


	79. Chapter 79

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 79 Destabilized**

When they were about half way to the lake, Scarlett directed Jax to get off the freeway. There was a sandwich shop that had great sandwiches. Scarlett had called an order in and paid for it with one of her many gift cards.

Jax picked up the order, so Scarlett wouldn't have to get out of the car and back in again.

"I ordered a bunch of different sandwiches and salads," she told Jax when he was back in her car.

"Do we need to stop at a grocery store too?"

"We keep the house well stocked with stuff. I love the sandwiches and salads from this place, so I swing by and get food whenever I'm in the area. I even change up my appearance and make sure I never use the same payment card twice."

"I never gave it much thought, but I don't get out of Charming much unless it's with the MC."

"It's OK," Scarlett said, patting Jax's leg reassuringly. "I'll keep you safe. We've got plenty of guns in the car."

Jax burst into laughter.

"I've never had a woman offer to protect me. That's really funny. So, all that stuff you told me about the guns in your car was true?"

"Every word. You never want to need a gun and not have one close by."

"What kind of shot are you?"

"I can shoot well enough to kill, but not well enough to shoot the gun out of someone's hand or wound someone. If I shoot at someone, I'm aiming for a center mass kill shot."

Jax was stopped at a traffic signal. He leaned over and kissed Scarlett's cheek.

"You are so damned sexy especially when you talk about guns and shooting."

"Maybe I can be even sexier. If I didn't have this back injury, I'd show you some of the self-defense stuff I've learned."

"You think you could kick my ass?" Jax asked. He glanced at Scarlett briefly before turning his attention back to driving.

"Sure. I'm sure you have fight experience, but I've had fight training."

"I'm stronger and bigger."

"It isn't about strength."

"Hmmm . . .," Jax said. "I'm not so sure I believe you. When I talked about loofahing you for smearing me with lipstick, you seemed concerned. If you had such great fight skills, you could easily prevent me from loofahing you. You are bluffing."

Scarlett frowned. Jax was a lot smarter than she liked.

"Maybe just a little."

Jax laughed again.

"I can't believe you really thought you could kick my ass."

"When my back is better, I plan on trying it."

"Sneak attack or are you going to give me a warning?"

"Which ever gives me the better chance."

"Well, darlin', I can hardly wait."

"You know the stuff I told you, you won't say anything right?" Scarlett asked. She was having second thoughts about how much she had confided to Jax.

She could almost hear her father's words in her head telling her that you have to confide information because it builds trust. She had been careful about not giving Jax information that he could put in an internet search and find results that could expose her true identity.

If Jax found out who she was, he could contact her ex who would pay him a very large amount of money to tell him her location. She didn't want to believe that Jax would sell her out for money, but she needed to assume that he would do that if given a chance. Trust only went so far.

She reminded herself that she was also planning on betraying Jax and bringing an end to SAMCRO and SOA. She needed to make sure that Jax never learned her true name or that of her ex. It would be natural for him to fight back.

Thinking about what she was going to have to do in the future scared her. She wasn't sure if she were tough enough to be so ruthless. Her mother was owed justice. It was time. She needed to remember that.

"Your secret is safe with me. You have my word on that."

"There's just one more thing I need from you. Don't tell anyone about this place. Just tell your MC or anyone else that you went to Lake Arrowhead and stayed at a place I borrowed from a friend."

"OK. I've never been to Arrowhead, but I can fake it."

"Thanks Jax," she said and gave him a sweet smile.

There was a gate that led up to the house. Scarlett used a remote control she got out of the glove compartment to open it and another to open the garage door.

The house was large and spacious with the wall facing the lake made almost entirely of glass. The view of the lake and the trees was stunning.

"I was expecting this modest little cabin on a lake. This place is amazing."

The house had an open floorplan with the living, kitchen and dining room all flowing together. There were two halls at either end of the house that had lead to bedrooms. There was a staircase near the home's front door that lead to an open loft area and two more bedrooms.

All the furnishings were white except the charcoal gray hardwood floors. The white dining room table had white chairs. Two long sofas were also white as were the armchairs.

"It's nice, but cold. It needs some color and accessories to bring it to life. It's better than the beige house my father used to have."

"Does he live here?"

"No. He designed it. He's really interested in architecture. I need to just spend some time and finish decorating it for him."

Jax walked to the French doors that led to the large deck that ran the width of the house. The deck actually extended over the lake.

"My bedroom is there," Scarlett said pointing to a hall off the living room. "You can have the other bedroom on this floor or you can have one of the upstairs bedrooms. They all look alike. The upstairs is nice. It makes you feel like you're up in a tree. There's a screened patio and a microwave and small refrigerator upstairs too."

"I'll grab the luggage."

Scarlett was in her bedroom when Jax brought her luggage. He put her bags on the bed because he knew she couldn't lift them or unpack them if they were on the floor.

Her bedroom was white, but there were turquoise pillows and brightly colored framed prints on the wall that gave the space some character and warmth.

"What's the ball for?" Jax asked pointing at the giant blue plastic ball on the floor

"Sometimes I sit on it and watch TV. It's supposed to be better for your back. When I had this back problem before, my therapist would take me out to the gym, I'd sit on the ball and she would try to knock me off."

"That doesn't sound very difficult."

Scarlett sat on the ball.

"Try to knock me off now," she said.

Jax knelt down on his knees and gave Scarlett a light shove. The ball wobbled. Scarlett desperately tried to stay balanced on the ball. Jax grabbed her as she began to slide sideways and pulled her against him to keep her from falling.

Scarlett's heart was beating so fast, she almost didn't feel her pain level escalate. The look in Jax's eyes only made the hammering of her heart worse, but it did divert her mind from thinking about the pain.

Time seemed to move in super slow motion. Jax bent his head, brought his lips to hers and kissed her tenderly with a gentleness she never expected from an outlaw biker.


	80. Chapter 80

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 80 Angered**

His eyes narrowed as he studied the grainy black and white photo. The angle was bad and the face blurry. How the hell was he supposed to tell whether this was her or not? He spent huge sums of money hiring the best staff and this was the result—a piece of shit photograph.

"Is this really the best you can do?" he asked his assistant with thick sarcasm.

"It's a bad photo," the assistant admitted. "It's the best we could do. It was difficult to even get a picture."

"When is the team getting there?" he demanded.

"I didn't think the ID was good enough to send the team."

Scarlett's ex's face turned bright red.

"I pay you a fortune to think. I expect a hell of a lot better thought from you. You send the fucking team to find this girl," he said stabbing the photo with his finger. "I want a color photo of her."

He picked up his laptop and heaved it across the room. Every time he thought of how he had stood at the altar waiting for his bride, it caused new waves of fury. The humiliation of that moment lived on in his memory and would until he got his hands on her.

He pulled out the book he kept in the top drawer of his desk. It was a list of all the painful and horrible things he was going to do to her. He found it soothing to read it, but today it didn't calm him because it was the fourth year anniversary and he still hadn't found her.


	81. Chapter 81

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 81 Terrified**

Gemma pretended like nothing was wrong until Clay finished his orange Fanta; she wasn't up to another fight with him. The most important thing was finding out where the hell Jax had gone.

It didn't matter to her that Jax was an adult. His junkie whore wife overdosed the day before and the baby he thought he was going to be the father to was dead and not his. He was vulnerable and he could make mistakes with disastrous consequences. This was the time when he needed his mother the most.

She'd been relieved when Jax's bike wasn't at Tara's, but now she became obsessed with the idea that Tara and Jax had gone off together. In Jax's state of mind, who knew what could happen?

Oh, dear God, no! What if he married Tara? Who knew what was going through his mind? She knew Tara was back in Charming for Jax. She hoped that Jax would be smart enough to avoid her clutches this time, but in his current state of mind, who knew what he would do? That's why she needed to see how he was doing.

Juice came into the office.

"Look, you didn't hear this from me . . ." Juice said.

"You know something about Jax?" Gemma demanded.

"I don't know. Maybe. When we were at that street fair thing a few days ago, me and Half-Sack saw Jax there with this really beautiful, hot blonde girl named Scarlett."

"He's never mentioned a Scarlett to me."

"He said that she was visiting Charming. She said she was thinking about starting a business in town something like a coffee shop."

"You think there was something more than a night or two?"

"She told me and Half-Sack that she had injured her back during sex."

"With Jax?"

"Yeah. He just stood there and didn't say anything."

"You think he might have feelings for this slut?"

Juice shrugged.

"He didn't say anything, but the way he looked at her. Something about it. He seemed to really like her. I haven't seen him like that with a girl before. Even Wendy, he wasn't like that."

"You know where she was staying?"

Juice shook his head.

"No. Neither one mentioned it. I don't know if he's with her, but I know you're worried. You won't say anything, right?"

"I never have before," Gemma said. "Thanks, Juice."

Juice nodded and left the office.

Jax seeing a girl without telling her wasn't unusual. It was more the opposite. It was very rare for Jax to introduce her to a girl. Tara and Wendy were the only times she could remember that Jax had introduced her to a girl.

Whoever this girl was, she had to have taken Jax out of town with her. She needed to see where Jax was emotionally. What if Jax was so messed up over everything he'd been through that he just decided to leave town for good?

She wasn't about to lose her son to some blonde whore, but at least for now, it looked like that was what had happened. Gemma closed her eyes for a moment. She couldn't bear to lose her son.

How the hell could he have just forgotten to call his mother?


	82. Chapter 82

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 82 Floored**

For a few seconds as Jax kissed Scarlett tenderly, he forgot that she had a back injury.

"Jax, I'm sorry," Scarlett said, pulling her head away. "I can't move."

During the course of the kiss, he'd moved her off the stability ball. They were tangled together on the floor, Scarlett on top.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Don't move and give me a few seconds. My spine's all locked up. It will relax as long as we don't move and then I'll be able to move again."

"I'm sorry. I forgot for a second."

"I kind of forgot too until my spine locked up."

Scarlett dropped her head to Jax's chest and rested her head against him.

"I'm sorry I'm so defective," she whispered.

"I don't mind. You might be worth all the trouble."

Scarlett carefully moved her head so she could look up at him, her green eyes narrowed.

"Might be, huh?" she asked and gave his beard a playful tug.

"Well, I don't know yet, darlin'. You are definitely more work than most women."

"I'm sure most women look at you and immediately collapse at your feet and beg for sex."

"There's a lot of truth to that," Jax said feigning modesty. "It's so hard to go to the grocery store. Even when I wear a baseball cap and sunglasses, I still get accosted."

"It's the cut. It gives you away."

"Damn. You're right. So, that's why they still know who I am. I'm going to have to keep you around so you can help me think."

"I'll have to keep you around so you can help me walk."

"We could be the perfect couple," Jax suggested.

Jax felt tingles when Scarlett looked up at him. That last time he felt that way was with Tara. He thought it was just something that happened to high schoolers.

Scarlett kissed Jax softly almost shyly.

"I'm still not going to have sex with you," she said.

"Darlin', I'm going to make you burn for me," he promised.

Scarlett's face flushed and she caught her breath.

"In your dreams," Scarlett said when she had regained a little more composure.

"How are we going to get you off the floor?"

"If you could help me get to my hands and knees and then help me up from there. It's going to hurt no matter what."

"OK. I'll roll you off me and to the floor."

Jax carefully wrapped his arms around Scarlett before rolling her off him and to the floor being carefully to keep her spine straight.

"How was that?" Jax asked when he had rolled Scarlett off him and to the floor.

"Perfect."

"Next step?"

"Help me roll to my side. Then a pause to let my back adjust to that position. I'll bend my knees and you can sort of push me over until I'm on my hands and knees."

"Like a car that's rolled over."

Scarlett nodded. She bent her knees and Jax carefully pushed and lifted Scarlett to her hands and knees.

"OK. Now if you hold out your arm, I'll use it to pull myself to a half standing position. Then if you grab me under my arms and pull me upright, I should be standing."

A few moments later, Scarlett was standing.

"See, wasn't that easy?" Scarlett said with a smile.

"Kiss me," Jax said. "I need a reward."

Scarlett stood on tiptoe and kissed Jax lightly on the lips. He wrapped his arms around her, gently pulled her closer and kissed her back. He reluctantly released her because he remembered it was difficult for her to stand for long.

"Thank you for being so kind to me about everything."

"Why wouldn't I be kind to you?"

Scarlett tilted her head to the side and looked at him.

"I always think of outlaw bikers as being tough as nails. I can see that in you, but I also see a man who is kind, gentle, patient and thoughtful. You would come to take me walking because I needed to do that for my back, but you never made me feel like a chore."

"Spending time with you isn't a chore."

"Thank you," she said and kissed him on the cheek. "I'll get the sandwiches out and we can eat."

"No, you are going to let me do everything. You are going to rest your back today."

"I normally don't let men or really anyone tell me what to do, but I'll listen to you this one time. Just you don't go thinking this will happen again because it won't."

"Scarlett until your back injury heals; you are going to be at my mercy."

"Ummm . . . I'm not sure if that's scary as hell or kind of . . . interesting."

"Guess you'll find out," he said using the Jax Teller grin that always stole women's hearts.

Jax got out the sandwiches, the plates and everything else they needed. He had a sudden realization that he'd never really even done that minor domestic chore for another person. He was used to only taking care of himself.

Scarlett sat in a chair on the deck while Jax swam in the lake. He loved being out in nature. Every year, a couple of weeks before school, JT and Piney would take him and Opie camping. They would camp near a lake.

After JT died, Piney took them camping, but it wasn't the same. Clay came the next year and that was the last year they went camping.

He could feel a peacefulness come over him. It was something that he hadn't experienced in a very long time. It felt so good to be away from Charming and even the MC.

He realized he should call and check in with Gemma, but he didn't want to get dragged back into Charming and that world. He needed this break. He decided to be a little selfish now and do what was best for him. There would be a time to deal with Wendy and the baby's deaths and the arrangements that needed to be made, but he had a few days before he had to deal with that.

He imagined how nice it would be to come here for weekends packed with swimming, barbequing and Scarlett. Until she revealed why she was so security obsessed, he was a little concerned that she might be overly paranoid. Now, he knew her worries about her safety were valid.

She was handling her dangerous situation smartly by getting self-defense training and learning to shoot a gun. He liked her mental toughness.

When he saw her bending over her car, he expected to sleep with her a couple of times and move on. He never would have thought she would turn out to be so important to him and so physically elusive.

That night, he warmed up corned beef sandwiches and they are them with potato salad. They talked and laughed, but he noticed that Scarlett seemed to move a little more stiffly.

"You're worse, aren't you?"

"A bit. Whenever you are recovering from an injury, you make progress and get setbacks. It's just part of healing. I might go to bed early, so I can take painkillers."

"You don't take them during the day?"

Scarlett shook her head.

"I can tolerate pain, but not at night. Right now with this injury, my pain level is so high; the only way I can get through the day is because I know I can kill the pain later. Sometimes that means I go to bed early and do rounds of pain medication as the pain breaks through the pain killers."

"I don't think you should sleep alone. If you fall or need help, I'll never hear you from my bedroom. I'm prepared to make the sacrifice and sleep with you to make sure you're OK."

Scarlett looked at him thoughtfully.

"Sacrifice, huh? I kind of liked watching DVDs last night with you. You really think it's a sacrifice?"

"No, I don't. I liked watching DVDs with you last night too. I do think you need me nearby in case you need help."

"I'd like to tell you that you're wrong. It's hard for me to admit that I need a little help, but you've been so amazing and you're right. You can pick what we watch. I've got DVDs in my bedroom or we can watch TV."

"I'm glad we came here. It's peaceful. I don't have a lot of that in my life."

By the time Scarlett had taken her shower, Jax was waiting for her in bed. He'd used the other first floor bedroom's shower.

They settled in to watch DVDs with Scarlett's laptop between them. Scarlett fell asleep quickly thanks to her pain med/sleeping pills/muscle relaxer combination.

Jax watched her sleep for a moment, her face lit by the soft light of her laptop. He wasn't sure how he felt about Scarlett. He knew that being with her made him happier.

It was strange for him to get to know a girl so well before making love to her. He frowned at what he had just thought. Since when did he call sex making love? What the hell? What did this mean?


	83. Chapter 83

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 83 Haunted**

Based on everything she'd seen on TV and in movies, Tara expected a bigger change in her co-workers the next day after she had called them out for not helping when Gemma attacked her. Her co-workers might be a little nicer, but that was about it.

She was disappointed that there hadn't been a more dramatic change in their attitudes. At least she hadn't humiliated herself. All in all, her strategy to call out her co-workers worked because it hadn't been a disaster and she'd gotten through her work shift without being attacked or anyone dying, so that had been an improvement from yesterday too.

She knew from Donna that Jax had plowed his way through hundreds of girls in the ten years she'd been away from Charming. A lot of girls would have been upset, but Tara saw it as proof that he couldn't find a girl that could replace her. Other than Wendy, he hadn't been in a relationship since they split according to Donna.

She was haunted by seeing Jax and Scarlett. This was the second time she'd seen them together. There was just something in the way he looked at her that she didn't like. She would be OK if Jax were sleeping with Scarlett. She would just be another participant in the Jax Teller Sex Parade, but she didn't think he was sleeping with Scarlett. Her back injury was too severe.

Jax was going away with Scarlett for a few days. That meant that he enjoyed being with her and, whatever there was between them, it was more than just sex. That was a threat to her.

Jax was at an emotionally vulnerable time and he'd turned to Scarlett. That wasn't good, but she refused to believe that she had lost Jax to Scarlett—at least not permanently.

She was going to come up with a foolproof plan to get him back.


	84. Chapter 84

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 84 Favored**

Louise reached for her ringing and vibrating cell phone. She looked at the caller ID and groaned.

"Can you please take my shift?"

It was her best friend Casey.

"Your shift starts in less than thirty minutes," Louise said.

"I know. I had to help my mom take my little brother to the hospital. He had a bad asthma attack. We're still at the hospital. I just need you to cover the first two hours for me and I'll cover the last two hours of your shift. Please."

"I'll do it this last time. You forgot. Your brother is in Santa Barbara with his father. Casey, if you're going to lie, you have to do a better job."

Casey laughed.

"Thanks, Louise. You really are the best. I feel bad. How about this, I'll cover your whole shift."

"If I cover your whole shift."

"Well, yeah. Please. I'll never ask again."

"That's what you said the last time you asked me to cover your shift at the last minute. I'll do it, but Casey, you have to be more responsible. This has to be the last time."

"OK, Louise. Thanks again."

Louise knew that she let her friends walk all over her, but she just hated to say no when one of them asked for a favor.

She dragged herself out of bed, pulled on jeans and a T-shirt. She brushed her teeth, ran a comb through her hair, put on a fast coat of mascara and she was on her way out the door.

"You aren't having breakfast," her mother said.

"I have to cover Casey's shift," Louise said.

"I'd rather you work days anyway," her mother said. "Too much crime at night."

"It's Charming," Louise said with a smile. "There's no real crime."


	85. Chapter 85

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 85 Messaged**

Gemma alternated between heartbreak believing that Jax was injured somewhere and he needed her and white hot fury believing that Jax was choosing not to call her. She couldn't remember the last time she had gone 24 hours without talking to her son.

He better have a damned good reason for not calling her. The only two acceptable reasons she could think of was he was in a coma or he had amnesia. Otherwise, he should have taken a couple of minutes out of his fucking life to call her.

She fell asleep with her cell phone in her hand, so she would be sure not to miss his call. Sometime early that morning, he had sent her a text message. It was short just telling her he was OK and he would be gone a few more days. That was it.

He didn't say where he was or who he was with. She tried to text him, but the text wasn't delivered, meaning that Jax had powered his phone off. He couldn't receive or make calls or text messages. He was deliberately being unreachable.

She was so angry at the way Jax was treating her, all she could think of was how much she wanted to shake some sense into him. She would give him an epic ass chewing he would never forget.

"Can you believe that Jax would do this to me?" Gemma asked as she poured Clay a cup of coffee to go with the scrambled eggs she'd made him for breakfast.

"He's dealing with a lot of emotional shit. Give him some space."

"Since when do you take Jax's side over me?"

"When you're wrong. You smother him and it isn't good. It makes him look weak to the MC."

"Jax isn't weak."

"It doesn't make him look strong and tough when he has to check in with mommy all the time."

Gemma's lips tightened. Clay could be a nasty, ill-tempered SOB in the mornings.

"Jax is my son and it's no body's business how often I talk to him."

"None of the other guys are hounded by their mothers like you do Jax."

Gemma's face turned bright red.

"You may be right, but look at how well they've turned out. They would have all benefited from a mother that gave a damn about them. I am never going to apologize for being a fierce mother."

"You need to find a balance between being a mother and an overbearing bitch."

"It's so nice to find out what you really think of me," Gemma said. She slammed her coffee cup so hard on the table coffee sloshed out over the sides.

"It's not the first time I've told you this."

"I bet there's some girl involved."

"Jax always have some girl around him. That hasn't stopped him from calling you in the past."

"Would it hurt you that much to agree with me?"

"Be right and I'll agree with you," Clay said.

Gemma didn't say anything. She had learned that there were times when it was best not to talk back to Clay. Instead, she thought of what she was going to say to Jax when he returned to Charming. When she finished with him, he would never go away and not call her again.


	86. Chapter 86

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 86 Braided**

Scarlett had a tough night. She took three rounds of painkillers and sleeping pills. Jax woke up when she took her second round of medication and was still awake three hours later when she was taking her third.

"I'm keeping you up," Scarlett said. "You don't have to keep sleeping here. You won't hurt my feelings if you move to the other bedroom."

"I'm fine. Sometimes, I have trouble falling back to sleep."

"Since you don't have to get up at any certain time, why don't you take a couple of sleeping pills?"

"They really give you amnesia?"

"For some of the time. They are classified as hypnotics."

Shortly after taking them, he had sent Gemma a short text message. He didn't want her to worry, but he didn't want to listen to her bitching. Text messaging was the perfect solution. After, he turned his phone off. He wanted to continue to enjoy this time away from Gemma, SAMCRO and all of his responsibilities.

He slept deeply without a single dream. He liked that. Most of his dreams were nightmares. Dreamless sleep was amazing.

He didn't know how she did it, but Scarlett had taken three times the sleeping pills he had and she was awake and up before him. When he looked at himself in the mirror, he tried to remember what the hell had happened last night after he'd taken the pills.

Those damned things really did wipe out part of his memory. He wondered if Scarlett could fill in the gaps.

"Scarlett, where are you?"

"I'm upstairs sitting in the screened in porch," she called down to him.

"You want some coffee?"

"No, thanks."

Jax walked up the stairs and out to the screened in porch. When Scarlett looked at him, he saw her bite her lip. That's when his worst suspicions were confirmed.

"What's so funny?" he demanded.

"Absolutely nothing."

"Really? You don't find the braids on my beard and in my hair even a little bit funny?"

"Well, now that you mention it. It is pretty damned funny," she said and giggled.

"I don't suppose you remember how I got them."

"You don't remember?"

"No, that's why I was asking you."

"Well, after you took the sleeping pills, you sent a text to your mom and turned off your phone. Then, for some strange reason, you wanted some hair elastics. I thought you wanted to do your hair in another . . ."

"Don't say it."

"Manbun," Scarlett said. "To my surprise, you didn't want to put your hair up in a . . . Anyhow, you braided your beard and your hair."

"You are lying."

"You don't remember what happened, remember?"

"OK, funny question," Jax said, laughing at her words. "You're still in trouble. You see, I couldn't have braided my beard or my hair because I don't know how to braid."

"OK. You told me that you thought you would look really cute if you had braids. You thought you looked so hot with braids in your hair, you begged me to braid your beard. It was a little tricky because the hair isn't long, but I think I did a pretty good job. You wanted me to do it."

Jax saw how hard Scarlett was working to keep a straight face when she looked at him.

"I've never thought I would look good with braids, much less said the words. You are in trouble."

Scarlett laughed, her green eyes sparkling with mischief.

Damn Scarlett. Somehow, she had gotten the upper hand again.


	87. Chapter 87

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 87 Floated**

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: I POSTED TWO CHAPTERS CHAPTER 83 HAUNTED AND CHAPTER 84 FAVORED AT THE SAME TIME. I THINK SOME READERS MAY HAVE MISSED READING CHAPTER 84. SINCE I'M WRITING THIS SO IT'S MORE LIKE THE SCENES IN A TV SHOW, I USE SHORT CHAPTERS. I AM GOING TO POST MORE THAN ONE CHAPTER AT A TIME MORE OFTEN BECAUSE SOME OF THE CHAPTERS ARE SO SHORT. I WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW SO YOU WOULD BE LOOKING FOR IT.**

 **SOMETHING ALSO HAPPENED ON THIS SITE WHEN I POSTED CHAPTER 86 BRAIDED AND IT DIDN'T GO TO THE TOP OF THE STORIES LIST, SO READERS MAY NOT HAVE NOTICED THAT A NEW CHAPTER WAS POSTED.**

Scarlett sized up Jax as the guy that has girls throwing themselves at him all the time. She stood out by not throwing herself at him and being playful. She doubted that many of the clubhouse girls would have dared to braid Jax's hair while he slept. It had been so hard to keep from laughing while she was doing it.

"Scarlett, you're a naughty girl and naughty girls get punished."

"Really?" she asked with a grin. "Tell me more."

She'd been looking out at the lake, but she'd turned to face him when he walked onto the screened patio.

He put his coffee cup down on the table and walked up to her. For a moment, she was worried. One of these days, she was going to go too far, but braiding a guy's hair when he was sleeping was really pretty minor.

"Let me show you," he said his voice silky.

Scarlett looked at Jax apprehensively as he walked up to her. He wrapped his arms around her with her back against him.

"Since you're injured, I can't throw you in the lake."

"You would throw me in the lake for some harmless little braids?" she demanded indignantly.

The look in his eyes almost dissolved her bones. She wasn't sure she would have been able to stand if his arms weren't holding her. No man had ever turned her into pudding before.

"I've come up with something better."

"OK. So this is my warning, right?"

"The more you talk, the more you get yourself in trouble."

"Oh, hell," Scarlett said looking into Jax's eyes. "How about a sincere apology?"

"You would never be able to make a sincere apology."

"You're probably right," Scarlett said with a sigh. "I guess I'm just going to get punished."

The talking had restored Scarlett so she felt less like she was melting. That changed when Jax began to brush her lips along her neck. He'd come up with a punishment worse than throwing her in the lake—kissing her neck softly and seductively.

There was something odd about his lips. They sent little electrical sparks when he brushed them against her neck. Her bones had done the melting thing again. She caught her breath and tried to keep her body from overheating.

When he bragged that he was going to make her burn for him, she never dreamed that he could have been telling the truth. After he released her, she had to stand clutching his arm for a few moments before she could walk away from him. He gave her a satisfied little smile as though he knew his effect on her.

Scarlett remembered they had pool toys and life jackets in a shed next to the dock. She explained to Jax that she needed a life jacket because she couldn't kick her legs. If she ended up in the water, she wasn't sure how well she would be able to swim.

Scarlett found a pool float that looked like a lounge chair that would let her float around the lake while sitting up. Jax held the pool chair while she used her arms to pull herself into the chair. She floated in the lake and used her arms to maneuver.

Jax tried to trick her by diving below the pool chair and tickling her toes, so she'd think fish were chewing on them. Scarlett wasn't fooled. Jax spent most of his time floating around on an inner tube.

The lake got afternoon shade from all the trees, so Jax and Scarlett were able to spend most of the afternoon floating around the little cove without frying their skin.

Jax had to swim Scarlett and the pool chair back to the lake's shore when they decided to go inside. They raided the freezer for dinner. Jax insisted on barbequing hamburgers until Scarlett pointed out that it was dark outside and they would get eaten up by mosquitoes. She suggested they barbeque lunch tomorrow instead.

He still cooked the hamburgers. Scarlett got the potato salad from the sandwich to go with the hamburgers, set the table and poured the iced teas. She liked the feel of working with Jax.

The day had been filled with fun and laughter. It had been a long time since she'd had such a good time. It was nice to forget the past for a little while.

They settled into bed to watch DVDs before falling asleep.

"I've been thinking about what happened earlier. About the whole concept of punishment," Scarlett said.

"You want to try the sincere apology now?"

"No, I think your understanding of it may be flawed. Punishment is supposed to deter the person being punished not reward the behavior."

Scarlett gave Jax a victorious smile before closing her eyes to sleep.


	88. Chapter 88

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 88 Enraged**

Jax was still gone and no one seemed to know where the hell he was or when he would return. No one else had figured out that Jax was with the blonde whore. Even Gemma didn't know that Jax was with someone.

She couldn't bear to think of what life would be like without Jax in it. It would be so black and bleak, she could kill a whole zip code of people and it wouldn't make her feel better.

She didn't know why she tortured herself with thoughts of Jax not returning. He would never leave his mother or the MC. Those were ties he would never be able to cut. Jax would be back. She just had to quit thinking the worst.

For now, she focused on Louise. She wondered if Louise had any feeling at all that this was her last day alive. She had been sending her thoughts about death to give her a hint. Sometimes when she sent people thoughts, the people actually got them.

She stopped at the convenience store and parked. Louise wasn't working. Some short red-haired girl was working. What the hell had happened? What the hell was she going to do? Her kill plan was perfect.

People got caught when they didn't stick to their plan. People always thought of serial killers as unhinged and crazy. It took a lot of brains to be a skilled serial killer especially with all the DNA technology.

She thought about trying to find out where Louise lived, but she didn't know her last name. She couldn't ask the girl in the convenience store who was working when Louise was supposed to be working. When Louise turned up dead, she might remember the conversation and tell the cops.

Waiting and not killing was not an option. Someone had to die. Just as she was about to pull out of the convenience store's parking lot, Louise walked into the store through the back door.

Her killing plan was back on.


	89. Chapter 89

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 89 Gossiped**

Louise waited until the couple paid for their chips and a six pack of beer before she went to the counter.

"You have my paycheck?" Louise asked.

Casey reached under the counter and handed Louise an envelope.

"Thanks."

"Hey, look, I'm sorry about this morning. I had a really late night with Paul."

"What would you have done if I hadn't been able to cover for you?"

Casey looked at the ground.

"I'm _really_ sorry."

"OK, but please don't do it again."

"I have Jax Teller news," Casey said with a smile. "Wendy died and so did their baby."

"Wow," Louise said, her eyes widened with surprise. "Poor Jax."

In Charming, everyone knew what was happening to everyone. It just took the news a day or two to travel to everyone's ears.

"And he left town."

"For good?" Louise's heart beat faster with fear. She had been nursing a huge crush on Jax since she'd started work at the convenience store over a year ago.

"No, I don't think so. He'd never leave the MC." Casey patted Louise on the arm and grinned. "Don't worry. I'm sure he'll be back unless he decides to buy condoms by the case as you suggested."

Louise's face turned bright red.

"I should never have told you I said that to him."

"Why? You said it to him."

"It was embarrassing. I probably shouldn't have said it to him."

She had also tried to give him a child's book after he looked at it. It was supposed to be for the baby and it wasn't stealing. The store was giving them away with certain purchases. Jax hadn't made the required purchase, but she had a little discretion at her job.

She still cringed when she remembering him pulling the book out of his bag and looking at her with a smile. She'd even confessed that it had been a favorite of hers. She hadn't shared that with Casey. It was too embarrassing. The memory made her want to crawl into a hole and hide.

"There's nothing wrong with a little flirting."

"I don't know why I can't get him to look at me. He's sweet and nice and all, but I just can't seem to get him to see me as a potential girlfriend. I know I'm pretty enough. I just don't get it."

"Louise, Jax doesn't look at you like he wants to sleep with you because you don't have enough miles on you. He only gets with girls that have been around. You are too pure."

"Thanks. Great advice," Louise said sarcastically.

Casey was always telling her that she needed to change her attitude towards sex. She told her that you need to sleep with a guy on the first date or he won't ask you out again. Louise didn't agree with her. She thought she was worth more than the cost of a meal.

Casey had also been in nine relationships in six months. She always had a boyfriend. She'd start looking when the current relationship was crashing. She was her best friend, but Louise thought Casey didn't know anymore about guys than she did. They just made mistakes in different ways.

"Hey, I'm just trying to help you get with the man you love," Casey said. She put her hand over heart dramatically.

"I don't love him," Louise protested. "I just like talking to him. He's always so nice to me. All the MC guys are super nice."

"He is hot."

"Since you're the expert on guys, why haven't you been with him? Don't try to tell me that you haven't wanted to get with him. Once I saw a nun try to get with Jax."

"A nun? Really?"

"When the nun turned around, it was just Ima wearing a nun's outfit. It was her Halloween costume."

"Or one of her movie costumes," Casey said.

Both girls laughed.

"Watching Ima chase after Jax is like a more adult version of watching Wile E. Coyote chase after the Roadrunner," Louise said. Both girls laughed again.

"Well if Mr. "A Box at a Time Keeps Me Humble" comes in, I'll let you know," Casey said as Louise's mother came in the back door. She was carrying two bags stuffed with Chinese food.

"Come on, Louise. We want to get home while the food is hot."

"Late for dinner," Casey said.

"Yeah, it's very late and I didn't feel like cooking. Lucky the Chinese place is open late," Louise's mother said.

Louise had the strangest feeling that someone was watching her. She saw a white car parked outside but she couldn't see the driver. Something just felt wrong. She was being silly. She'd watched _Scream_ a couple of hours ago. She was just a little jumpy from that.

She locked the back door behind her. She always checked when Casey was working because she tended to leave the door unlocked. It was bad security. Charming or not, Louise knew that you had to be at least a little careful. It was only a matter of time before something bad happened in town.


	90. Chapter 90

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 90 Deterred**

Jax was not about to let a woman get the better of him. It was time to take Scarlett's power away from her.

"Scarlett, I know you aren't asleep. I also know that you took your medication ten minutes ago, so you haven't hit the memory loss part yet."

He moved her laptop that was between them so they could watch DVDs. He scooted closer to her, closing the gap between them.

"You want me to deter you? How's this? If I wake up with braids in my hair or on my beard, I will take that as you telling me that you want me to use you as my personal popsicle."

"Did you say something?" Scarlett asked opening her eyes. "I drifted off to sleep for a moment."

"Your acting skills are not very good."

"What did you say?"

His body was just touching hers and he could look into her face.

"You didn't think that the punishment I gave you for braiding my hair and beard was going to provide an actual deterrent to keep you from doing it again. I know you heard what I told you I would do to you. You just want to hear me say the words again."

"I didn't hear you," Scarlett protested.

"OK. I said that if I wake up with braids in my hair or on my beard, I would take that as you asking me to use you as my personal popsicle."

Scarlett studied his face for a moment.

"How do you feel about popsicles?"

"Want me to show you?"

"No. I was hoping that you didn't like popsicles and you just leave them alone and never touch them."

"Is that what you want from me? Never to touch you?"

"I'd be OK with that," Scarlett said seriously. "I told you that I'm defective."

Jax studied her face and realized she believed or she wanted to believe what she was telling him.

"Maybe you want to be defective, but you aren't defective. I've seen and felt how you respond to me."

"Jax, you are either delusional or wrong."

Usually he saw laughter in Scarlett's eyes, but this was one of those rare times when she was serious.

Jax realized that Scarlett was a very complex woman. He liked that. He didn't find that much in women, but that's what happens when you spend only enough time with a woman to bed her, leave the next morning and go on to the next woman.

"Want me to prove it to you?"

"Jax, that's a tragic thing to say because what happens is the man tries to prove it and the woman is stuck with a dilemma—let him know he failed or fake it that he succeeded."

"I'll prove it to you," Jax said. He leaned down, his hands on her arms, he bent his head and began to lick her neck like a child would a popsicle.

Scarlett began to squirm and giggle.

"That tickles."

"See, you do respond to me," Jax said. There was mischief in his sky blue eyes. "How was that for a deterrent?"

"I think you are going to have to just wait and see."

"Fair enough," Jax said. He bent his head and brought his lips close to hers, so close they were almost touching. He abruptly lifted his head and smiled when he saw the disappointment in her eyes.

"Well played, Mr. Teller," Scarlett said. "Well played."


	91. Chapter 91

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 91 Delayed**

She watched as Louise and an older woman who looked to be her mother left the convenience store with a white plastic bag that was filled with little cartons of food. That was it then. Louise was not going to meet her death tonight. Enjoy your reprieve, Louise.

She smiled. It was kind of like those old movies when someone was going to get the death penalty and there was the phone on the wall that rang at the last minute with a reprieve from the governor. She was like the governor.

She pulled out of the parking lot. She decided to go home. She was tired from the excitement of the hunt followed by the crash of adrenalin when she realized she couldn't carry out her plan.

There had been an odd moment when Louise seemed to look around like she'd received the thoughts she'd sent to her. That had to mean that her powers were getting stronger. Now that she'd established a psychic link with Louise, it would be a shame to lose that.

No, it was even better now that she had the psychic link. She might be able to hear Louise's thoughts when she was killing her. That would be absolutely amazing and worth delaying her death until tomorrow.

Her stress level at not being able to kill Louise was lessening now that she had a great reason for the delay. She sent some more thoughts at Louise telling her to enjoy the last night of her life. Enjoy your time with your mother because it will be your last. Enjoy what's left of your life, Louise.

Tomorrow death will come to Louise. Jax had to be punished for leaving town with the blonde whore.

She tried sending Jax some thoughts. Suffer Jax. You should never have left Charming even for just a few days. Suffer.


	92. Chapter 92

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 92 Alarmed**

Jax woke up the next morning. Once again, Scarlett had gotten up before him. He went into the bathroom and looked in the mirror hoping that his hair or beard was braided because he really wanted to use Scarlett as his very own personal popsicle. Scarlett definitely needed a little Jax popsicle love.

He found her inside about ready to walk out on the deck. She was in her usual good mood, but there was something about the way she looked at him. He could see the laughter in her eyes and knew that she must be up to something.

"What do you want to do today?" Jax asked.

"I thought I'd go out on the deck for awhile and this afternoon I thought I'd go out in the lake if you'll help me."

"OK. I'll go for a swim and then I'll make barbeque for lunch."

Scarlett nodded. Normally they didn't eat breakfast because they went to bed late and got up late. Sometimes Jax would grab a breakfast sandwich from the freezer and microwave it.

There was still a sparkle in her eyes and he knew that something was up with her. He returned to the bedroom on the other side of the house. He kept everything in his room and hadn't moved into Scarlett's room. He just slept there. His stuff stayed put.

He looked in the mirror and didn't notice anything. He turned and looked at his reflection from the back. Still nothing. He ran his hands through his hair. That's when he found it. A little skinny braid tucked deep in his hair out of sight.

Jax changed into his red swim trunks and went out onto the deck where Scarlett was standing.

"Is there anything you want to tell me?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I can't think of anything."

"OK. I want to show you something," Jax said and started walking towards her.

"You see with your eyes. What do you want me to look at? You can just point."

"I think it's better for you to see with your hands."

"I don't need to use my hands to see your abs again," she said. "I can see them from here, but thanks," she said with a grin.

"Scarlett, last chance. Is there anything you want to tell me?"

He could see that she was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"No, Jax. There isn't."

"You were warned."

Scarlett giggled. "You are so funny when you're trying to be stern."

"Let's see how funny you think I am now," he said. He took her hand and let her feel his hair and the carefully concealed braid. "What do you think that is?"

"A braid. Must be leftover from yesterday."

"No. It wasn't leftover. Want to try another explanation?"

"You're wrong about it being a leftover braid," she suggested.

"No, that isn't it. Do you remember what I told you I would do to you?"

"If I tell you that I forgot, will you believe me?"

"You really think that's even a possibility?"

"Yeah, I didn't really think so. OK. Here are my thoughts on what happened. You licked my neck like a popsicle. You've punished me and I didn't even do anything. I had to put a braid in your hair to balance the scales of justice."

"What about when your braided my hair and beard and I didn't do anything to you?"

"I didn't know that you would have a problem with the braids. I thought you would think it was a fun look."

"Really?"

"No," she admitted smiling. "I was awake and you were asleep, so I needed something to do. I didn't know you slept so soundly and once I started braiding I couldn't stop until I ran out of hair elastics or you woke up."

"The next time you mess with me at all while I'm asleep, you will be my personal popsicle. Are we clear?"

Scarlett looked down and nodded.

"Yes, Jax," she said contritely. "We're clear. I won't mess with you anymore when you're asleep."

Jax didn't buy her contrition. He put his arms around her.

"Wake me up and then mess with me."

"It's really better for me when you're asleep."

"Let me show you some of the things we can do if we're awake together."

He pulled her closer and lowered his head to kiss her. Suddenly a loud alarm sounded from a pocket in Scarlett's shorts.

"What the hell is that?"

Scarlett took her phone out of her pocket and looked at the screen.

"Security alarm."

The carefree Scarlett was gone immediately. She walked into the house, opened the door of a kitchen cabinet and removed a gun from a hidden compartment.

"I have this," she said as she chambered a round in the gun. "You should go out to the lake and get out of here. This isn't your fight."


	93. Chapter 93

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Author's Note Posting Chapters 93, 94 and 95 together.**_

 **This story has many short chapters because it's supposed to be more like a TV show with short scenes. From time to time, I'm going to post chapters together when the chapters are short and they fit together in a way that makes sense to me.**

 **The first time I did this, I posted two chapters at a time and some readers missed reading one of the chapters.**

 **When I post multiple chapters, I will note it on the chapters. Also, I think that posting short multiple chapters at the same time will improve the reading experience.**

 **Chapter 93 Tested**

When Gemma woke up, she expected to find that Jax left her a voice mail or, at the very minimum, another text message. She didn't get either.

Now, it was lunch time and still no word from Jax. If he was trying to test her patience, he was successful. Gemma thought being patient was overrated and for underachievers, so she hadn't bothered to learn the trait.

When Jax got off his butt and finally called her, she wasn't going to ream him out over the phone. This was something she would do in person probably accompanied by a couple of vicious slaps to his face. He was too old to spank, which was too damned bad.

She worried that he would meet up with an enemy of SAMCRO's. What she feared most was he would get back together with the good Dr. Knowles. She wanted to vomit at the thought. He could have called Tara to meet him somewhere or he could have returned and then gone somewhere with her.

The idea that Jax could be with Tara began to eat away at Gemma until she couldn't stand it anymore. She had to do something about it. She drove to Jax's house to check on whether his bike was still in the garage. It was.

He either had to still be out of town or he could have come back to Charming and gone somewhere with Tara. She wasn't about to quit playing detective until she figured out where Tara was.

She drove by Tara's house and didn't see her father's big old Cutlass in the driveway, so she drove by the hospital. She found Tara's car.

That was kind of good news/bad news. It probably meant that he was still out of town and in danger from SAMCRO's enemies. The good news was he wasn't with Tara. God, how she hated that bitch!

She was livid with Jax. In his entire life, he had never blown her off like this and he would never do it again once she got her hands on him.


	94. Chapter 94

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Author's Note Posting Chapters 93, 94 and 95 together.**_

 **This story has many short chapters because it's supposed to be more like a TV show with short scenes. From time to time, I'm going to post chapters together when the chapters are short and they fit together in a way that makes sense to me.**

 **The first time I did this, I posted two chapters at a time and some readers missed reading one of the chapters.**

 **When I post multiple chapters, I will note it on the chapters. Also, I think that posting short multiple chapters at the same time will improve the reading experience.**

 **Chapter 94 Armed**

Scarlett felt weak and shaky. She was always scared when an alarm was tripped. Her father had drilled it into her head that she always had to assume that behind every tripped alarm was a team that was going to kidnap her and bring her to her ex-fiance.

It wasn't just protecting herself. Every tripped alarm brought with it the very real possibility that she would have to kill herself in the next few minutes if it looked like they were going to take her. His team could never take her alive.

The prospect of being taken and tortured for years on end flooded her with such a deep soul sucking terror, she had thought about suicide because she just couldn't live with the terror anymore. Inevitably, she would remind herself that if she killed herself because her ex was terrorizing her, he would win. The urge to kill herself would leave.

"Jax, get out. _Now_. Hurry!"

If this was a team sent to grab her, they would search the house and kill Jax. The only safe place for him to be was in the lake underwater and away from the house.

Her back was too badly injured for fleeing to be an option for her. It was always best to run away, but until her back healed and she could move normally, fighting was her only way out.

She looked down at her phone trying to catch a glimpse of what had set off the alarm system. Over the years, the various alarm systems had been tweaked and perfected, so she knew that a small animal hadn't tripped the alarm and this was no false alarm.

When she looked up, she saw that Jax hadn't listened to her. He'd gone to the cabinet she'd gotten her handgun out of and grabbed an AK. He was checking the ammunition.

"Damn you, Jax Teller. You are going to get yourself killed."


	95. Chapter 95

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Author's Note Posting Chapters 93, 94 and 95 together.**_

 **This story has many short chapters because it's supposed to be more like a TV show with short scenes. From time to time, I'm going to post chapters together when the chapters are short and they fit together in a way that makes sense to me.**

 **The first time I did this, I posted two chapters at a time and some readers missed reading one of the chapters.**

 **When I post multiple chapters, I will note it on the chapters. Also, I think that posting short multiple chapters at the same time will improve the reading experience.**

 **Chapter 95 Eyed**

Now that the anniversary of his wedding day was over, he thought he would feel less agitated about finding his ex-fiancee, but his anger had actually grown. He was constantly bombarded by flashbacks of being at the altar expecting to see his beautiful, sweet fiancée come floating down the aisle wearing a beautiful and very expensive wedding gown and veil.

He couldn't believe it, but she had actually wanted to sew her own wedding gown and veil. He couldn't have that. His friends and business associates would expect his bride to wear an expensive designer wedding dress. He had a reputation to maintain.

He had stood there like a fool waiting and waiting and waiting. His best man, his stepbrother finally left the altar and made calls. The chauffeur had been desperately searching for his beautiful bride to no avail.

For a few minutes, he had thought one of his business enemies could have taken her to shake him down for money. He had been a big enough fool to believe that she had been kidnapped. It wasn't until he returned to his house that he discovered not only was his bride gone, but so were three large suitcases stuffed with cash made illegally.

He had planned for her to die on their honeymoon, but the bitch had outsmarted him. She'd not only humiliated him by leaving him standing at the altar, she had stolen a huge sum of money from him. This was his dirty little secret. He would never let anyone know how she'd taken his money.

"The team is in place," his assistant said. "We should have eyes on her any minute now."

For a moment, he shut his eyes and pictured how sweet it would be to have his ex back. He imagined the sound of her screams of agony as he tortured her. Good times are coming! He smiled, his eyes still shut.


	96. Chapter 96

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 96 Strategized**

"Jax if this is a team sent by my ex, they will kill you. There's no doubt about it. I can handle this."

Jax looked at Scarlett and shook his head. He didn't know of a woman who would protect him in such a situation. The woman would expect him to protect her. Scarlett was a very different sort of woman.

"You can barely walk."

"They _will_ kill you. This isn't your fight. _Get out now_!"

Jax turned her around and began shoving her towards the staircase.

"We have the fire power to kill them first. This is how we are going to do it. We are going up to the third floor. That spiral staircase will force them to go up in single file. We'll shoot them as they come up."

"I don't want your help. Go."

"Let's fight them and not each other. Come on," Jax said. He went up the staircase and helped her up. It was slow going with her injury. She had trouble lifting her feet up for each stair, but she ignored the pain and went as fast as her body was able.

Jax looked at the layout and figured out the best position to fire on the men as they came up the stairs. The men would have no choice, but to retreat or die. If they didn't need to take Scarlett alive, they could have set the place one fire. Needing her alive, limited their strategy.

His heart was beating fast. There was something about danger that made him feel alive. Danger was intoxicating and part of him loved it.

"You go there," Jax pointed. "We don't want to hit each other with crossfire."

"OK."

Scarlett was pale and nervous.

"Have you ever killed anyone?"

"No. I can do it though. It's self-defense."

Jax positioned himself to provide cover as he shot the team coming up the stairs.

"One last thing," Scarlett called softly to him. "If this goes bad and I can't kill myself because my gun jams, I run out of ammo or something like that, don't let them take me. Shoot me."

"Scarlett, it isn't going to come to that."

" _Promise_."

"I promise."

Jax was ready.


	97. Chapter 97

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 97 Fanned**

She watched Gemma return to TM's office. She decided to strike up a conversation with her to see if she knew anything about where Jax had gone and, more importantly, when he was going to return. She wasn't going to tell Gemma that she knew Jax had left with the blonde whore in a red Corvette.

"Gemma, you seem a little agitated. Are you OK?"

"I am so mad at Jax, I'd like to wring his neck."

"You haven't heard from him yet?"

"That little son of a bitch hasn't called me."

"I can't believe he hasn't bothered to call you."

Gemma's face was flushed.

"It will be the last time he ever forgets," she said grimly.

Fanning the flames of Gemma's anger was fun. It was the only good thing about Jax's mysterious disappearance.

It also served a purpose. By making Gemma as mad as possible about Jax's conduct, she would make sure this was the last time he did something like this again because Gemma was going to go off on him in a way no one's ever go off on Jax before.

There was also another level of funny. Jax had all this sexy swagger yet he had to deal with his mother. As much as she loved Jax, she did think he was pussy whipped by his mother, but all the men in Gemma's life suffered from some degree of pussy whip.

She giggled and then covered her mouth quickly hoping Gemma didn't hear the giggle. She didn't want to bring Gemma's wrath down on her head.

"What's so funny?" Gemma demanded.

"I was just imaging you kicking Jax's ass."

"It's going to happen. Can you believe that Clay isn't even mad at Jax?"

"Maybe he just wants to give him some space after everything he's been through."

"Clay? Really?" Gemma scoffed.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing, but the urge to laugh was too strong. She just hoped Gemma wouldn't get mad at her. Maybe she was pussy whipped too.


	98. Chapter 98

2

 **Chapter 98 Identified**

He looked at the pictures being sent to his computer by the team. The pictures weren't good and he couldn't tell yet. A woman could change her appearance so easily. A change in hair color and make up and sometimes it was hard to tell. Making it even harder to tell was the poor quality of the pictures that were being sent to him.

His face flushed with anger. He paid to have the best people around him. The tracker whose job was to find his ex-fiancee should be performing at a much higher level. People who didn't meet his job performance standards were terminated, but not in a lethal way—well not usually.

"What do you think?" his assistant asked him.

"How the fuck should I know?" he yelled. "I can't tell a damned thing from these."

His assistant nodded.

A new batch of pictures came in. He studied them intently. Another picture came in and he swore.

"How the hell does this tracker idiot think that's her? It's not even a little close."

"That's why I didn't want to send a team. I had a feeling it wasn't her."

He looked at his assistant and thought about firing him. He didn't like it when his employees uttered even a wisp of criticism.

Well, first things first. He needed to deal with his incompetent tracker.

"Get rid of the tracker. Pay him off. I want a new tracker in place in three days. Smarter and better."

"Yes, sir. Do you want to interview them?"

"Have I ever interviewed them before in the past four years?"

"No, sir."

"What do you think my answer is based on that?"

"You want me to handle everything."

"Very good," he said. "You're practically a genius," he laid his sarcasm on extra thick.

His assistant scurried from the room before his boss started throwing things at him.


	99. Chapter 99

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 99 Flamed**

Scarlett was outwardly calm, but inside she was scared that something bad was going to happen to Jax. This wasn't his fight and she didn't want to add his death to the list of people who had been killed just because they knew her.

When she met Jax, she was expecting a charming womanizer who cared only about himself. Jax turned out to be more complex than that. He treated her with unfailing patience and kindness when she needed help with her back injury.

Lately, she'd been thinking about becoming a hermit and moving somewhere in the middle of no where or west Texas. At least then she wouldn't have to worry about anyone else getting killed.

Scarlett heard and felt the buzzing of her cell phone. She saw the call was from her father. She answered.

"You have got to be kidding me," Scarlett said. "Jax, my father is the intruder."

"Anyone with him?" Jax asked.

Scarlett shook her head.

"Thanks for calling _now_ ," Scarlett said annoyed. "You couldn't have called five minutes sooner?"

Jax laughed at Scarlett's tone of voice.

He was looking forward to meeting her father. He wanted to find out what she was like as a kid. She must have been a holy terror.

By the time Jax and Scarlett got downstairs, her father was in the house.

He looked at Jax cradling the AK and Scarlett holding a handgun.

"You two were prepared," he said approvingly. "What was your plan?"

"We were up on the third floor. When they came after Scarlett, I was going to shoot them."

Her father nodded his head.

"Good strategy. You create a kill box and make them come to you. Impressive."

"Jax, this is my father Decker. Deck, this is Jax. I met him when I was in Charming."

Decker was a little shorter than Scarlett with an average build, light brown hair and light almost amber colored eyes. He was attractive in a low key way.

"Why don't you give me your gun and I'll put the guns away?" Jax said to Scarlett.

She handed him her gun and he put the weapons away in the cabinet in the kitchen and slide the panel that kept the weapons hidden back into place.

"I can't believe you couldn't have called sooner. I really thought that a team was coming for me. I even made Jax promise to shoot me," Scarlett said.

Jax had never seen Scarlett angry, but from her flushed face to the fire in her eyes, she was furious.

"You have to always be on alert. It was good practice."

Scarlett's eyes practically shot out sparks.

"That's easy for you to say because you weren't the one who had to grab weapons and face death. You did this deliberately as just one of your tests to make sure I'm ready. I get why you do it. You think you're helping me, but I'm sick of it."

Decker threw up his hands.

"OK. OK. Maybe I didn't call to see if you were in the house because I wanted to test you. I only do it out of love."

"It doesn't matter why you do it, the results are the same. You terrorized me and I've had enough of it."

"We were about to make lunch. I was going to barbeque," Jax said. He decided to de-escalate the situation.

"This is the last time you pull something like this," Scarlett said, pointing her finger at her father.

"OK. I'm sorry Scarlett. I'm sorry I needlessly scared you Jax."

Jax couldn't help smiling at the family dynamic between Scarlett and her father.

"I'm going to take some muscle relaxers and you guys need to start grilling."

Scarlett walked even slower than usual. Having to climb the stairs so quickly had kicked up her pain level and reduced her mobility. She took even smaller steps to minimize pain as best she could.

She was still angry with her father for the stunt he pulled. He knew that he should have called her. This wasn't the first time he'd pulled something like this and she'd had enough. She would have another chat with her father about this.

Jax was another problem. Even when she told him to leave, she knew he would stay. He would never hide behind a woman.

It had seemed so simple when she and her father had planned everything out. It was different when actual people were involved. She just needed to put her head down and focus.

The pain just made everything so much more difficult. It was eroding her desire to see the plan through. She was just going to have to face facts and find a great physiotherapist and commit herself to months of therapy. It would be amazing to be able to walk again easily and without pain.

Scarlett saw Jax and her father standing around the BBQ with beer bottles in their hands having a little male bonding moment. Maybe her father would have some insight into Jax that could benefit her.

She got out the salads from the deli, set the table and poured herself a glass of iced tea. She sat down because she couldn't tolerate the pain of standing any longer.

Since they hadn't stopped at a market, there wasn't any lettuce or tomatoes for the burgers the guys were grilling. Scarlett found some guacamole in the freezer and thawed the package in warm water.

Jax brought in the burgers. They had even gone the extra steps to toast the buns on the grill and melted the cheese on the burgers. The guys drank another beer with lunch while Scarlett stuck to iced tea. Mixing muscle relaxers with alcohol wasn't a good idea.

"What was Scarlett like as a kid?" Jax asked.

"The second they put that squirming little bundle in my arms, I knew she was the best thing that had ever happened to me."

"You say that often enough, dad, and I might start to believe you," Scarlett said with a teasing smile.

Jax laughed.

"She had to have gotten into trouble at school."

Decker shook his head.

"She was always the teacher's pet. Smart too."

"Come on, there's got to be something that she did."

Scarlett looked at her father.

"Go ahead. You know you want to tell him the moustache story."

"I have got to hear that story," Jax said.

"I had this great moustache and Scarlett hated it. She doesn't like facial hair on men. Maybe that's changed," he added hastily. "I had a habit of falling asleep in my recliner in the evenings. I started to notice something seemed different about my appearance, but that didn't make any sense. I hadn't done anything differently.

"After about a week or so, I was in a rush to get to work, so I skipped shaving. Everyone kept looking at me and laughing. I finally went and looked at myself in a bathroom mirror. My moustache was an inch shorter on one side."

Jax laughed.

"He left out that he was thinking about growing a really long moustache and then waxing it and curling it. It was horrifying. I had to save him from himself. Each night, I would cut just a little off one side of his moustache to see if he would notice. After six or seven days of cutting a little off his moustache, I decided to just go for it, so I cut more, so it would be really obvious."

"What did you do?" Jax asked.

"I shaved the moustache. Scarlett was right about the moustache."

"You didn't even get punished?" Jax asked in disbelief.

Scarlett gave Jax a triumphant smile.

"My father appreciated my help with his grooming. Well, that and he and my mother had just gotten divorced. I told him I did it because I was testing boundaries to make sure he still loved me."

"How could I punish her after she said that?"

Jax shook his head and laughed.

"The moral of the story is don't fall asleep around Scarlett if you value your facial hair."

Scarlett looked at Jax's facial hair and smiled just so he'd start to wonder if she'd been doing more to him while he slept than braiding his hair.


	100. Chapter 100

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 100 Bitter**

Tara had been watching Jax's house casually. She drove by to and from work, but she hadn't walked past it again. It was only a little out of the way, so it wasn't that obvious that she was watching for Jax to get back from his little romantic vacation.

She couldn't remember Jax ever leaving Charming for more than a night or two and that had been when he went with the MC to a bike rally.

She imagined him spending the days and nights with Scarlett having sex with her over and over again. Scarlett's back injury or not, Jax would find a way to have sex with her. There's no way that he would do without. Not Jax Teller. He had a turbo-charged sex drive. How she envied Scarlett!

She wanted to have sex with Jax again. She could make that memory last a life time. She just needed one more time.

The bitter truth was the break-up was all her fault. Everyone thought she left Charming so she could go to school. Jax had been kind enough to let them believe that. He kept her secrets. That was one of the reasons she loved him.

During the last month in Charming, their relationship had been in a graveyard spiral as pilots called it. She tried but she couldn't find a way to pull out of that spiral and fix their problems—the ones she had caused.

Jax hadn't been without blame. He made mistakes too. Sometimes, she believed that they were just too young for forever. If they had gotten together a couple of years later, things might have worked out. They would have brought more maturity to their relationship.

If he could just forgive her, maybe there would be a way back for them. With all the time that had passed, surely that would have made it easier for him to forgive her.

She felt love for Jax fill every cell in her body or, as writers of hackneyed romance novels always put it, she loved him with every fiber of her being. She didn't know how she could have ever been uncertain of her feelings.

What did Scarlett have that she didn't? Everything. That was the sad truth. Scarlett was beautiful with a better body. She also seemed to have a way with Jax. She remembered the way they were laughing together at the Charming sidewalk fair and the way he looked at her. He used to look at her that same way. That memory was a stab to her heart.

She had a history with Jax. That gave them a bond that he didn't have with Scarlett. It also could be the reason they would never get back together if Jax couldn't forgive her.

At least she had brains. She had to be smarter than Scarlett. She was a neonatal surgeon. Being smart though might not be a good thing. Guys didn't like smart girls. Jax hadn't been that way, but that was high school.

Gemma used to use her desire for more education as a way to disparage her. She would call her the town's little genius with that nasty edge to her voice. The world, Charming and Jax would be better off if Gemma died.

It would be a mercy killing only instead of the person dying being given mercy, the living would be the ones given mercy because that bitch would be dead. Time had done nothing to dim her hatred of Gemma and the fight at the hospital only confirmed the wisdom of hating Gemma.

Fantasies of sex with Jax gave way to fantasies of a world free of Gemma.


	101. Chapter 101

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 101 Stupid**

Jax had tactfully gone for a swim in the lake so Scarlett and her father could have some alone time.

"I'm still mad at you for scaring me."

"How did your boyfriend take it?"

They had gotten deck furniture out of the storage shed and were sitting outside.

Scarlett rolled her eyes. Her father had the ability to make her feel like a teen-ager.

"He isn't my boyfriend."

"OK. He isn't your boyfriend."

Scarlett rolled her eyes again because she knew from the tone of her father's voice that he didn't believe his own words.

"I told him to go out to the lake," Scarlett said, deciding not to continue the battle over her father calling Jax her boyfriend, "and swim away. He told me I couldn't defend myself because I can barely walk.

"He saw me take the handgun from the cabinet. He went over to it and got the AK. I had trouble with the stairs. He practically had to pull me up them."

"It was brave of him to stay."

"Yeah, he was really great."

"You were stupid to try to send him away. What if there had been a real team coming? You can't fight in your physical condition. You aren't bringing down a team of skilled mercenaries with a handgun. I doubt you could even fire a gun effectively in your current condition."

"I don't want anyone else killed because of me."

"How did you plan to get out of the situation? You sure as hell can't run. If the team hit the house, you can be damn sure that you couldn't just hide under the bed and they would go away."

"I can't have anyone else die because of me," Scarlett said, her eyes filling with tears.

She would never get over walking into her co-worker's home and finding them all dead. Worse still was when she thought of the loved ones left behind and the pain they experienced and were still experiencing. Sometimes the weight of it all was overwhelming. Those were the times when she hated herself the most.

"What you are doing is _fucking_ dangerous. If you want to get out of this alive, you better stay focused. That means if you think there's a team after you, let Jax protect you. I love you and I want you to live."

"I just don't want him to die for me."

"Scarlett, this guy is an outlaw biker. He will probably end up murdered or in prison. Those are the brutal facts. You know them. We talked about this. You can't worry about his safety."

"I know," she said, sighing. "I know."

"Don't make this mistake again. The next time there's a security breach, it could be a team after you. In your current physical condition, you need all the help you can get. Why didn't you tell me how bad you are?"

"I didn't want you to worry."

"I worry all the time. Use the Nora ID and stop by an urgent care or walk in clinic on your way back to Charming and get a physiotherapy prescription."

"I can't drive more than about twenty minutes. It's hard for me to lift or move my legs from the accelerator to the brake."

"That's better anyway. I'll find you a place to go within an hour of Charming. Pay someone to drive you. I'm sure Jax can help you find someone who can drive you to therapy appointments. Have the person stay in the car or in the lobby so they don't hear your name or if they do, tell them Nora's your real first name."

"Do you know what I need . . ."

"I know how to find a good physio place. I saw all the crap ones you went to until you saw the neurologist who sent you somewhere great. I'll pose as a doctor and look at them. I know there needs to be a gym that patients are actually using, preferably with a therapist or trainer watching over the people. Extra credit points if there's a therapist working with a patient in the gym."

"Thanks, dad."

"Do you think he could have killed Violet?"

"No. If I thought there was a chance he did it, I wouldn't have brought him up here."

"OK. Just remember don't make decisions based on emotion. I've taught you better. You need to keep your head in this or you will get yourself killed. You've got too many enemies including your boyfriend. If he knew your true identity, how long do you think you would be alive? He could even be the one to kill you."


	102. Chapter 102

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 102 Miss**

There was nothing worse than a serial killer with a dull knife, she thought as she sharpened the two special knives she kept exclusively for killing. She loved honing the blades until they could slice paper. She saw a knife commercial for a knife that did that. Since seeing that commercial many years ago, that had been her standard for a knife.

For a moment, she imagined Louise laughing and getting up and running away when she tried to slice into her with her knife because the blade was too dull. It would be embarrassing and dangerous if Louise got away. She knew her.

Her heart started pounding hard and fast in her chest. She could not get caught. She wouldn't be able to kill anymore and she loved killing women. Prison wasn't good for her kind.

She decided to drive by the convenience store just to see Louise. It would give her such a rush of happiness to see Louise, knowing that she was playing God tonight and she was going to kill her.

Pleasure surged through her body. This was so much better than sex. The only thing that could top that pleasure would be sex with Jax. That would be life changing.

Every breath she took filled her with ecstasy as she fantasized that Jax had wrapped her in his hard muscled arms. She loved him so much.

A different kind of terror coursed through her body. This time it wasn't fear of getting caught. This fear was even greater than that. She feared Jax rejecting her, laughing in her face and saying he could never love her.

It got worse for her. Louise wasn't at the convenience store. She forgot that this was Louise's day off. She couldn't kill her that night. She would have to wait until tomorrow.

Wait. Wait. Wait. How could she have to wait again? Thinking about Jax rejecting her hurt so much she couldn't stand the pain. She had to do something to stop it. The only thing that really helped was killing.

If she killed tonight, she couldn't kill Louise tomorrow night. The murders would be too close together.

Now, she had a dilemma on her hands. Kill someone tonight or fight for control and kill Louise tomorrow night. Either way a body was going to drop in the next twenty-four hours.


	103. Chapter 103

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 103 Swim**

Scarlett watched Jax swimming in the cove. It was hard to imagine him killing her, but if her learned true identity, he would have no choice. He would have to kill her.

Her mother had testified against the Sons of Anarchy's Laredo, Texas chapter resulting in the chapter being wiped out and its members imprisoned. It didn't matter to SOA that the Laredo chapter forced illegal immigrant girls and boys some as young as five into prostitution. It only mattered that someone had dared to testify against the MC. That could never be tolerated.

It wasn't just a question of murdering her mother. They wanted her daughter killed too. They wanted a message sent to any future rats; testify and they will not only kill you, they'll wipe out your family. The passing of years didn't matter. There was no forgiveness.

"I'm not going to tell him my real name and I know you won't either. There's no way he's going to find out," Scarlett said.

"I was surprised to find you here with him."

"Jax's almost ex-wife and the baby she was carrying died from a drug overdose. That's why we came here. He needed to get away."

"You're using this tragedy to get closer to him. He may never be this emotionally vulnerable. Well done, Scarlett."

"Thanks," she said. "I think I'll meet daddy dearest soon. I should be able to tag along with Jax when they have some kind of service or funeral for his almost ex and the baby."

"Are you sure you are going to be able to face him?"

"Absolutely. I want him to pay for killing my mother. I'm ready to finally do this. I've had another idea. Maybe a change in the plan. If Clay gets locked up and he's in good standing with the MC, he'll get protected in prison.

"It's going to take some time to destroy the MC, but if I get him thrown out of the MC and then put in prison, he won't have protection. Every day will be a living hell for him."

Her father laughed.

"Now, that sounds like my daughter. My beautiful vengeful daughter. What are you going to do about the MC?"

"We still need to destroy it. That hasn't changed. I just want to clear Clay out of the way first."

"Makes sense. It will take awhile to disband the Sons of Anarchy."

Scarlett couldn't take her eyes off Jax as she thought of what she was going to try to do and it wasn't because he looked sexy as hell in his red swim trunks. She wanted to take apart the MC he loved so much and put most, if not all, its members in prison. That might include him.

Ripping up the MC wouldn't happen soon. There were many more plays that she and her father would have to make to get that done.

"I'm just trying to be realistic about how long this all could take."

"I think he's falling for you. He stayed with you when he could have left."

"I'm not going to make the mistake of assuming that his staying with me has any great meaning. I think it had more to do with the way he's wired. He's an outlaw biker. I'm sure he's been in gun fights."

"You underestimate your impact on men."

"I don't know about that. I did meet a local cop David Hale through Jax. We bonded over our love of James Ellroy's dark detective fiction. I think I can use him to play against Jax a little."

"A cop could be very useful. I like your idea to play them against each other."

"I didn't expect Jax to be so sweet," Scarlett said wistfully. "He'd come by my motel room and take me walking to help me with my back."

"Has he been physically aggressive?"

"No. He's just been incredible."

He studied the face of his daughter and shook his head.

"You are falling for this guy."

"No, I'm not," Scarlett said firmly. "I never fall in love."

"I've heard you say that many times. This is the first time, I've heard some doubt in your voice."

She felt this cold wave of dread spread through her body. She could not be falling for Jax. She would _never_ let that happen to her.


	104. Chapter 104

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 104 Wrong**

Tara tried to find some enthusiasm for going to the much rescheduled barbeque with Hale. There was only one thing wrong with Hale; he wasn't Jax.

She liked Hale and it would have been so much better if she could have fallen in love with him instead of Jax. Even now, she'd tried to stir up some passion for Hale. It just wasn't going to happen. It was Jax or no one.

Over barbequed chicken legs, grocery store potato salad and grilled zucchini, they talked about high school. It was the only thing they had in common now.

Hale shared the news that the meth that Wendy shot into her was contaminated with fentanyl and a variety of other drugs. She and the baby never stood a chance.

A small time drug dealer had been found dead from an overdose with the same thumb bag with a skull and cross bone sticker nearby. It chemically matched the drug profile of the spiked meth Wendy used. There was a bag of meth next to a stack of empty thumb bags and skull and cross bone stickers.

With the dealer's death, the case was closed and no one else would die from tainted crank. As far as the dealer who sold the now dead dealer the tainted crank, the search for that person was beyond Charming's borders. The Charming police were out of it; case closed.

Tara went home shortly after dinner. She faked a headache. It would have been more accurate if she had said she had a heartache.

Normally, she could divert her mind from thoughts of Jax, but reminiscing about the past and high school had left her emotionally gutted.

How could she have thrown away her relationship with the only man she ever loved? The past was closed. She couldn't do anything about it. She had the future and that was where she needed to focus.

When she went to Jax to apologize about the hospital situation and not telling him about the baby's paternity before she told him about the baby's death, she would try to turn that into her big opportunity to get Jax back. If that failed, she would grovel a bit about how everything was her fault when they broke up. If that failed, she would make Scarlett her new best friend to show Jax just how much she had grown and that she was no longer insanely jealous.

She would get Jax back. She had overcome enormous odds by becoming a neo-natal surgeon. By comparison, getting Jax back should be easy.


	105. Chapter 105

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 105 Protection**

They enjoyed a home cooked dinner of pot roast, Southern style green beans with bacon and onions and twice baked potatoes thanks to the freezer full of food in the house's garage. Decker had even plated the food cooking show style so the food looked beautiful on the plate.

"This food is delicious and looks as good as it tastes," Jax said.

"Scarlett and I have marathon cooking sessions and pack the freezer with home cooked meals."

"It's a good thing," Scarlett said. "I can't stand long enough now to even chop an onion."

"You have to go to therapy," Decker said.

"I know," Scarlett said with some irritation in her voice. "I said I would go."

"Scarlett's mother was the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Decker said. "Scarlett looks just like her."

"You always exaggerate. My mother was beautiful, but I don't look just like her."

"I think Scarlett's _probably_ the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Jax said.

He was speaking truthfully. She was beautiful with her cool blonde hair, wide green eyes with thick black lashes and full sculpted lips. He would never forget the sight of her in short shorts with her long perfectly shaped legs bending over the hood of her cherry red Corvette. What he lov . . . liked best about her though was the mischievous look in her eyes.

He didn't love Scarlett. That was a mental slip. Nothing more. He had only known her a few days. That was no where near long enough to form an emotional attachment to someone. That kind of crap only happened in bad romance movies and all romance movies were bad.

"Men and the lines they use," Scarlett said rolling her eyes. "Probably, huh?"

Jax flashed her that Jax Teller grin that melted the hearts of women.

"Well, darlin', I'd say you were the most beautiful woman, but I don't want you to get conceited."

"Thanks, I appreciate that," Scarlett said.

"I never thought about marriage and I definitely didn't want kids," Decker said finally continuing his story. "Scarlett's mother Clara was a few weeks pregnant when I met her. We married a month later."

"You aren't Scarlett's biological father?"

"No," Scarlett said. "He's my chosen father. He's my dad because he wants to be my dad."

"I'm on the birth certificate as her father."

Jax got it then. He understood why Scarlett thought he should be on baby Bela's birth certificate. She wanted to give the baby a father like she'd been given one. He felt this oddly moving. The vulnerable, softer side to Scarlett was irresistible. It also explained why there wasn't any physical resemblance between father and daughter.

"He _is_ my father. He's the only person who has always been there for me."

"When they put her into my arms, she was fussing. She stopped as soon as I told her I was her daddy. She had a mass of dark curly hair and those incredible green eyes."

"Thanks a lot, dad," Scarlett said. "I almost had Jax convinced I was a natural blonde."

"I had dark hair when I was born too," Jax said with a grin. "I believe you are really a natural blonde."

Scarlett smiled at him.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Scarlett said to her dad.

Scarlett's dad shot her an amused look and continued his story.

"I felt so much love for that little baby with the green eyes and _blonde_ hair. I wanted to take care of her, love her and protect her. I can't imagine what my life would have been like without her. My life is infinitely better and happier because we're a family. Her mother and I got divorced when she was only six, but I got custody."

For the first time, Jax really felt the loss of baby Bela. He would never have those times with that baby. It wasn't her fault he wasn't her father. He hoped he would have stepped up to be a real father to Bela like Decker had done for Scarlett. It said a lot about the man's character.

"My mother wasn't into motherhood at the time," Scarlett said drily. "She wanted to go out and have fun without worrying about a kid or a husband."

"It was a few difficult years for Clara. She straightened out when she remarried," Decker said, his jaw tensed up. "We shared Scarlett then, but I still had primary custody."

"Do you know anything about your bio-dad?"

"A bit. I've seen his picture, but I don't really like to talk about him and it's too painful for me to talk about my mother."

"I get that. When my father died in a bike crash, it took me a long time to be able to talk about it. It's a loss that never goes away."

"I never stopped loving Clara," Decker said.

"I need to find you a wife," Scarlett said.

"Watch out for Scarlett, Jax. She's got a cruel streak. That's the only explanation I can find for her wanting to get me married."

Jax laughed. He could feel the deep love and connection between Decker and Scarlett. It made him miss his father more than usual.

"I didn't have the best experience with marriage either," Jax said.

"My experience was great. It was the last three months when it all went to hell," Decker said.

"Let me get dessert," Scarlett said quickly. She grabbed the dinner plates and took them to the kitchen.

"Scarlett doesn't like talking about her mother especially about the divorce. Her mother just quit loving me. I've never understood how that could happen so fast. One day everything was great and then the next, she wanted out of the marriage and out of motherhood."

Scarlett brought in cheesecake topped with a blueberry sauce, all from the freezer.

"So exactly what are your intentions with my daughter?" Decker asked.

"Dad," Scarlett warned.

"I'm trying to teach her more acceptable social behavior," Jax said smoothly as though he had practice with the answer.

"Good luck with that," Decker said laughing.

"Very funny, you two. Jax got all upset because when he fell asleep while we were watching a movie, I put a few braids in his hair."

"That doesn't seem so bad."

"She put braids in my beard."

"Scarlett, how could you?" her father said with mock sternness.

Scarlett grinned.

"It wasn't easy. The hair is kind of short and it was really hard, but I managed to get a couple in."

Decker laughed.

"It wasn't my fault," Scarlett protested. "I was overcome with the need to braid his hair and he looked so cute when I finished."

"She was just overcome with the need to braid your hair. It wasn't her fault."

Jax shook his head and laughed.

"You always stick up for her?"

"Damned right. She's my daughter and I'll always stick up for her."

Decker left shortly after dessert. The three gathered in the hall to say good-bye.

"Jax, I left you a present on your bed in case you need to protect my daughter again."

"Thanks."

Jax left Scarlett and Decker to say a private good-bye. He was still within earshot when he heard Scarlett whisper fiercely to her father that she would kill him if he left condoms on his bed. He shook his head and laughed.

He discovered there was nothing on his bed. No condoms. Nothing. The bedspread was untouched.

Decker had left the house by the time he returned to the hall.

"You father didn't leave anything on the bed," Jax said.

"Check my room."

"You told him that . . ."

"Of course not."

Jax returned from checking the bed in Scarlett's room with an ear to ear grin.

"Your father is awesome!"

Jax was holding a top of the line ultra light Kevlar vest with Coolmax.


	106. Chapter 106

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 106 Resist**

She wasn't going to kill again—not until tomorrow when Louise would be back at work, but then there was the perfect victim—a hooker. Hookers were sort of the training victims for serial killers. It took less skill to lure one in.

Her finely honed knives made quick work of the hooker. She didn't feel bad when she killed and she actually considered herself charitable when she killed hookers because they had drug filled, screwed-up up lives. Killing a hooker really was merciful and God wanted her to help these unfortunate women. She sent the hooker off to a better life. You're welcome unknown whore!

If she'd been able to see Jax or learned when he was coming back to Charming, she might have been able to hold herself together enough to resist killing at least until tomorrow when she was going to kill the sweet, virginal Louise.

Now that she'd killed again, she had to wait at least another week before killing. Killing too close together was how serial killers got caught. That and leaving behind DNA. She was too smart for that.

Not killing Louise did have an advantage; she could drive by the convenience store and get that rush from knowing she held Louise's life in her hands.

Louise, I am your God. I am giving you another week to live. Enjoy it and use it wisely. She intoned in a deep voice and then giggled.


	107. Chapter 107

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 107 Grab**

Jax immediately tried on his new Kevlar body armor like a kid with a new toy or a woman with new shoes.

"That's military grade," Scarlett explained.

Jax rubbed his hands over the material appraisingly. It was the best he'd ever touched.

"This is amazing. Did you know he was going to give this to me?"

Scarlett shook her head, her blonde hair swinging.

"No. I had no idea."

Jax grinned remembering Scarlett's fierce threat to her father about killing him if he left condoms on his bed.

"Does your father normally have body armor lying around?"

Scarlett nodded to Jax's surprise.

"In order to be on the run effectively, you have to be able to get fake IDs. It helps if you're involved in some illegal activity yourself. It helps you make contacts. My father sells body armor to felons. He keeps a supply in his van."

"This is damned impressive."

Scarlett had her phone out and was texting.

"I'm telling him his joke wasn't funny," she said.

"Tell him many thanks for the present."

Scarlett finished her message and sent it.

"I told him. If you mention it to anyone, could you just say you found it?"

"I just won't say where I got it. The outlaw part of the MC means we don't ask too many questions."

"Thanks. I think I'm going to go to bed and watch videos."

"I noticed you're walking even more stiffly than usual and it's harder for you to get up when you're sitting. You need me to sleep near you in case you need help."

"If you don't mind."

"I don't."

Jax would have bet his cut that Scarlett was up to something. Her eyes sparkled in a certain way and there was a different curve to her lips. He decided to play along.

"I'm beat too. All that swimming."

"I appreciate you giving my dad and me some alone time.

"You father is great."

"I bet you say that about anyone that gives you a great bullet-proof vest."

When they were in bed, Jax yawned a couple of times.

"I'm just going to go to sleep."

"Do you mind if I watch DVDs?"

"Of course not."

Jax still saw that sparkle in her eyes and the curve to her lips. He was more certain than ever that she was up to something. He rolled over on his side so his back was to her and pretended to go to sleep.

A few minutes later, he heard Scarlett whisper softly asking if he were awake. He laid there, his body relaxed imitating sleep.

A few more minutes passed before she asked again. Again, he stayed silent.

He felt her clumsily move into position beside him and he felt her hands on his hair. He waited until he felt her wrap the rubber band around his hair.

She gasped with surprise as he rolled over and grabbed her wrist.

"What do we have here? Your hand on a braid in my hair. How did that get there?"

"What's going on?" Scarlett asked, blinking her eyes. "I must have been sleep braiding."

"Sleep brai . . . " Jax broke off laughing.

Scarlett laughed and groaned at the pain from the muscles pulling.

"People do all kinds of things when they are asleep especially with sleeping pills."

"You are in trouble, Scarlett. I'm not your father. You can't talk your way out of this with me," he said, releasing her wrist.

Scarlett propped her head up on her hand as she looked at him.

"I just have a really hard time when people tell me I can't do something," she said sweetly.

Jax moved Scarlett's laptop that was between their lower bodies and scooted closer to her.

"Do you remember what I told you I would do to you if this happened again?"

"I forgot. It's the sleeping medication."

"This is my fault."

"I think so too. You look so darned cute in braids. I just can't resist."

"That wasn't the fault I was talking about."

Jax pushed her down on the pillow and leaned over her.

"You remember I told you I'd lick you like a popsicle if you braided my hair again?"

"OK. I didn't really believe it because no one really licks another person like a popsicle. I thought it was a joke. You make these funny little threats, but I know you don't mean them."

"Scarlett, you have educated me when you told me that I needed to come up with something that would deter you from misbehaving. I've been having trouble coming up with the proper deterrent. I don't think licking you like a popsicle is a deterrent. If anything it rewards bad behavior."

"I really don't like the idea of being licked like a popsicle."

"That's only because I haven't licked you like a popsicle. If I licked you like a popsicle, it would be the most pleasurable experience of your life."

Scarlett's lips parted and he heard her catch her breath.

Jax knew that talk was as far as it would go between them for now. He hadn't practiced sexual self- control since Tara left town. If he had condoms and a willing woman, he had sex and the women were always willing until Scarlett. He had forgotten just how much he hated sexual frustration, but Scarlett was in no shape for much physical activity even if she only had to play popsicle.

"I'll take your word for it," she said.

"OK. I think you want me to lick you like a popsicle, but that's not a deterrent. How's this for a deterrent. If you cut my hair, beard, or any hair on my body or if you braid my hair anywhere on my body, I will shave part or all of one of your eyebrows."

"You wouldn't really . . ."

Jax reached under his pillow and pulled out one of the disposable razors normally kept in the bathroom.

He took the blade and pressed it to the skin near her eyebrow.

"Do I have your attention?" he asked softly.

"Yes. It's only a few little braids."

"That isn't the point. We both know that. The next time I find a braid in my hair, you're losing part of your eyebrow."

"OK. You win."

"Could you repeat that?"

"You win. No more hair fun for me unless you agree. Maybe sometimes you could let me put some braids in your hair."

"What are you going to give me in exchange?"

"Wouldn't looking cute with braids be reward enough?"

"Scarlett, you are going to get yourself in serious trouble with me."

"I'm afraid so," she whispered.

"So am I."


	108. Chapter 108

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 108 Led**

Once more, Gemma woke up and discovered there was no message or text from Jax. She had never been this angry at Jax before and she'd been plenty angry during some of the early years of her marriage to Clay when Jax did his best to break up the marriage. It wasn't just that she'd married Clay; it was the speed at which she'd married him that had infuriated Jax.

She couldn't tell her son that she hadn't waited to marry Clay because her marriage had died long before his father was buried. She'd already gone through the mourning period; they were just still married at the time.

JT's death had been difficult, but not for the usual reasons. It had been hard for her because she had to pretend she was sad when she really felt free. A load of shit had been lifted off her shoulders with JT's death.

Divorce wouldn't have been a problem for Gemma. It was JT's plans afterwards. He wanted to take Jax and move to Ireland to live with his Irish piece of pussy. Jax loved his father more; he would have gone with JT. That's what boys did. There was no way in hell she would let JT or anyone else take her son away from her.

It had been simple to convince Clay to do it. She told him that JT wanted out of guns. If the MC got out of guns, the club's income would shrink to next to nothing. Clay liked the income too much to ever let the club give up guns.

She cursed softly. She wondered if Jax were being manipulated by some woman and that's why he wasn't calling her. That would be just like Jax hooking up with some slut and then being led around by his dick. She wondered if he would ever learn to think with his brain.

Shortly after lunch, she got a text from Jax. He said he would be back late the next day. It was about fucking time he got his ass back to Charming.


	109. Chapter 109

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 109 Played**

Over a leisurely brunch of French toast, hash browns and sausage, Scarlett told Jax that she'd scrapped her idea of opening a coffee and baked goods shop. She wanted to open a unique décor and furnishings store. As much as Jax would have enjoyed sampling the baked goods from Scarlett's proposed store, he agreed that a décor and furnishings store would be an easier store for her to run. He suggested some locations in Charming that would be perfect for her business.

Before they went to their rooms to change, Jax ran his hands through his hair. He frowned and ran his hands through his hair again.

"What is this?" Jax said. He turned around and showed Scarlett a braid buried underneath his hair.

"How did this get there?" he demanded.

"I don't know," Scarlett said frowning. "Could it be left over from before?"

"Scarlett," Jax said sternly, raising an eyebrow.

"Really, Jax. I don't know how it got there. I didn't do it. I swear."

"These denials remind me a lot of your previous ones. Do you remember what I said I'd do to you?"

"Jax, cross my heart, I don't know how . . ."

Her green eyes narrowed and she walked slowly and painfully to him.

"You son of a bitch," she said indignantly jabbing him hard in the stomach. "You did it yourself and you're trying to blame me."

Jax chuckled.

"I wanted to see the difference between when you lie and when you tell the truth."

"I should get to shave part of _your_ eyebrow."

"How about I give you a kiss instead?" Jax tried one of his smooth seductive smiles on her.

"I'd still rather sha . . ."

Jax had learned over the past several days that Scarlett wasn't physically fragile. She had trouble moving or standing. A short, careful kiss should work out just fine.

He slipped his arm around her waist, but instead of pulling her tight against him, he moved in close before kissing her. He kissed her softly and gently. She was warm and yielding. He wanted so much more from her than a sweet kiss, but he broke off the kiss. Kissing her had an element of torture in it because he was always left with wanting more.

She put her hand out and rested it lightly on his abs before standing on tiptoe and brushing her lips across his.

"I'd still rather razor your eyebrow."

"You're a hard woman, Scarlett."

"And you're a hard man, Jax," she said grinning. "A _very_ hard man."


	110. Chapter 110

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 110 Reaction**

She just learned that Jax would be back tomorrow. She was so excited she wanted to twirl in circles and laugh, but she couldn't do that; people would think she was strange and people already thought she was weird.

Never would she take seeing Jax for granted again. The golden shaggy hair, those sky blue eyes of his and that hard muscled body. She shut her eyes for a moment imagining his hands all over her body. She loved him.

The body hadn't been found yet. It was early. It usually took a few days. She hated the waiting. It was nerve wracking and she never could figure out the right reaction. Surprise? Shock? Indifference? Make a joke? No, probably not that.

It didn't matter. Jax was coming back. That was the only thing that mattered. She would see her true love soon.


	111. Chapter 111

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 111 Pin-up**

Jax checked out Scarlett in her swimsuit. She looked like one of those old time pin-ups. He'd seen girls wear a whole lot less with string bikinis showing the whole butt and tops so skimpy they were almost transparent, but none of them looked sexier than Scarlett.

She was wearing a one piece black bathing suit with little bright green dots. It exposed just a bit of cleavage, but it was the way it accented her hour glass figure that made him think of a pin up. Her blonde hair was in a ponytail and her face had no make-up except for red lipstick.

"Better than before?" Scarlett asked.

"The ballet bathing suit was fun."

"Or funny," Scarlett said.

Scarlett's other bathing suit looked like a black leotard top with a short white tulle skirt wrapped around it. She confessed when she was little she wanted to take ballet classes but her mother refused. The bathing suit was the closest she was going to get to being a ballerina.

"What's with the lipstick?"

"Many years ago, I read in this magazine that it's common for women in Paris to wear no make-up except for red lipstick. I thought it was so cool and chic, so sometimes I do that."

"You look so beautiful."

"I think you're just saying all that stuff because you think it will keep me from braiding your beard and hair."

"I've found a way to keep you from braiding my hair and beard. Remember I told you I'd razor part of your eyebrow if you did it again."

"I was hoping that was a bluff."

"Are you really ready to take that chance?"

"No. I think you might actually be serious and I don't want to take chances. By the way, you told me that you didn't know how to braid. How did the braid get into your hair?"

"I had to take out so many braids, I eventually learned how to make them."

They filled a cooler with snacks and drinks and left it on the dock. Once Jax helped Tara into the floating lounge chair, he began to swim laps. Scarlett floated whatever way the current took her. Occasionally, she needed Jax's help to tow her back in.

Once Jax used his body to spin Scarlett's chair around in ever increasingly fast circles. She giggled and the world began to turn leaving her dizzy. Sometimes, he pretended to be a shark and would grab Scarlett's foot and pretend he was biting it. It was silly fun, something he didn't experience enough.

"I'm going to miss this place," Jax said. "I think this is the most relaxing time I've ever experienced."

"There's no reason we can spend time here. We can come up whenever you want to and after I open my store, I'm going to make sure the other person will cover for me."

"I really love the idea of coming back. I've never been this relaxed. That can mean only one thing—my mother is going to give me hell for being away for a few days."

"Jax, maybe you ought to take a look at your relationship with your mother. It seems as though she still expects you do what she tells you. You're an adult. You bear the consequences for all your bad decisions, so you might as well make the mistakes you want to make."

Jax insisted he would cook dinner. He cut pork chops into chunks and put them on skewers with pineapple from the pantry and grilled them. Scarlett helped by making rice.

Jax appreciated the calming effect this place had on him. He had also realized that he needed to set boundaries for his mother. He really had surrendered his life to his mother and it was long past time for them to have a talk about their relationship.

Whatever happened was bound to leave Gemma unhappy, but it was important to tell her that she was his mother and not his boss.


	112. Chapter 112

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 112 Push**

Scarlett opened the window to feel the cool night air against her skin and breathe in the sweet heavy scent of the star jasmine planted beneath the window. Jax walked up behind her, standing so his body just touched hers. He put his arm across her shoulders. She expected to feel his lips or his warm breath on her neck.

"Did you really think I wouldn't find out your real name?" he whispered.

His words sent waves of terror through her body. She felt him shove the cold metal barrel of a gun against her head just below her ear. She heard him cock the gun. Her body jerked her awake.

Just a stupid dream. Nothing more. Normally with sleeping pills, she didn't dream, but they were wearing off as well as the pain killers and muscle relaxers she'd taken a few hours earlier.

She struggled to sit up using her arms to push herself up right. She took two tablets out of each bottle and swallowed them with water from the glass of water she always kept by her bedside.

Jax was still sound asleep. She didn't want to disturb him by turning on her laptop to watch DVDs while she waited for the medications to kick in. She put her hands on the nightstand for a few moments before pushing herself into a half crouch. Once her spine adjusted, she moved her hands from the nightstand to just above her knees. She slowly began walking her hands up her legs pausing to let her back adjust until she was finally standing up right.

She couldn't figure out why Jax wanted to share her bed. He knew that she wasn't going to have sex with him. It was kind of nice to watch DVDs together and talk though.

She left the bedroom and walked into the kitchen. It would take thirty minutes to an hour before the medication would kick in and she would be able to fall asleep.

Sitting would be painful and then she would have to stand up again, but standing hurt too. She decided to walk, maybe it would calm her body down and help her meds work faster.

Her mind turned to her nightmare. There was no way Jax could learn her true name. Even her psycho ex didn't know her real name. She'd lived under various fake names longer than she'd lived under her real name.

The nightmare had a deeper meaning. She wasn't afraid _of_ Jax. She was afraid _for_ him. If her ex found her and, even suspected Jax was in her life, that would be enough to get him killed. Maybe even tortured to death in front of her.

She never let herself cry over pain. It didn't make it hurt less. It just increased her stress level. Her pain could be killed and with therapy she would recover. A lot of people were living with a lot worse. It was being so physically vulnerable that she hated so much. It was a dangerous condition for her.

She thought of all the deaths that were connected to her and the people that were hurt by them. She didn't cause them, but she still felt burdened and haunted by them and the loved ones they had left behind.

Jax wasn't what she expected either. Violet was easily sucked in by men. When she told her how charming he was, she was skeptical. She thought he'd be this womanizer with a smarmy, oily charm like a timeshare salesman or a gadget salesman at a carnival. She liked him and she had fun with him. It was new for her. Normally, she tolerated men. With Jax, she actually _wanted_ to be around him. Not all the time, but sometimes. That was progress.

Violet was dead, left discarded in a field. As a kid, she had idolized her big sister. It never mattered that they were stepsisters. She missed Violet. For a moment her mind went down the dark path wondering what Violet's final moments must have been like for her. Now, she was just being cruel to herself.

She'd been leaning against the living room wall watching the sun begin to rise. Somehow when she wasn't paying attention, she had started to cry. She had tried to harden herself against weakness and crying meant weakness. Two minutes and then she was going to wipe off her tears and go back to bed.

Her mother had been very anti-crying. When she would cry, her mother would send her to her room because no one wanted to see that. If she had to cry as a kid, she had to do it in her room and in secret. Usually she would hide in her bedroom closet.

She heard Jax and turned her head slightly making sure to hang her head so her hair covered her tearstained face.

"Are you OK, Scarlett?"

"I'm fine," she said. Despite her efforts to speak normally, she knew her voice betrayed her feelings.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Tell me what's wrong?"

"Leave me alone!" Scarlett raised her voice.

"Scarlett, tell me what's wrong," Jax's voice was calm and patient.

She wasn't about to let Jax see her cry much less tell him the reasons why. Maybe she _should_ tell him her real name. He could put a bullet through her brain and she'd be in a better place than this hell she was living.

"Scarlett?"

"Go away! What the hell is wrong with you? When a girl cries, you are supposed to run like hell in the opposite direction."

"I'm not most guys."

"Go the fuck away!" Scarlett screamed.

He left her then. She wrapped her arms around herself because she was going to cry hard and it would pull the muscles in her back and hurt like hell.

It didn't take a psychic to predict her future. She was going to have to apologize to Jax for screaming at him. Damn. And she was going to exceed her two minute crying limit. Son of a bitch.

Maybe she'd hit the memory loss part of her sleeping meds and she wouldn't remember this had happened. There was always a bright side. Jax wouldn't forget. There went the bright side.


	113. Chapter 113

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 113 Pages**

Tara was continuing to have doubts about Dr. Namid's surgical ability. She wondered if he could be getting early onset Alzheimer's. He was in the middle of doing a routine hernia repair on an infant when there was a moment when he didn't seem to know where he was or what he was doing.

She had stepped in and helped, but the more she saw of his work, the more she wondered. There was a saying among surgeons that community hospitals were where old surgeons were put out to pasture. The more she worked with Dr. Namid, the more she was becoming convinced that he didn't belong in an OR.

A relaxing bath with a glass of wine and then another glass of wine would help put the day in perspective. No patients died and she hadn't gotten into a fight with Gemma. By that standard, it was a perfect day.

Never content to just leave things alone, she had to pick at the scab. She began looking through her old high school yearbook from her junior year. Charming High didn't have a lot of students, so they padded out the yearbook with lots of candid shots of students. There were many pictures of her and Jax together. Back then, they were practically joined at the hip. They were in a thick cocoon of happiness and love. She had really believed they would stay like that forever. She'd also believed in Santa Claus as a child.

Jax still wasn't back from his trip with that blonde slut with the red Corvette. Maybe he picked her up at Cara Cara, the porn studio run by Otto's wife Lu-ann. It wouldn't surprise her. Some men drowned themselves in drugs or drink; Jax preferred women.

She couldn't really fault him. It wasn't as though he had a girlfriend and his wife was dead. He'd get the blonde out of his system and that would clear the path for her if he could forgive her mistakes from the past, if he could forget some of the things she'd said and if he still had a spark of love left for her. Simple.

She knew it wasn't simple. Her heart would race and she felt like she was going to have a panic attack every time she thought about how she might have thrown away her chance at love and happiness with Jax. She just wanted to undo all the mistakes and put their relationship back together the way it should be.

The wine had insulated her emotions a little, so she brought out her yearbook from her senior year to provide more heartbreak. There she could see the strain between them in some of the pictures. He dropped out after the first semester, so there were no more pictures of them after that.

Tara began to cry fearing that she'd waited too long to make amends to Jax and he was lost to her forever.


	114. Chapter 114

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 114 Lost**

Scarlett was furious at herself for being weak in front of Jax. She wanted him to see a woman who had life all figured out and was confident and always sure of herself. It wasn't who she was; it was the person she wanted to be. Showing weakness could get her and her father killed.

Her father's expectations were overwhelming her. Bringing down SOA by first bringing down SAMCRO wasn't going to be easy or without danger. It also wouldn't be something that would take a few weeks. It was going to be a long process.

She had always been good at keeping control of her emotions. She never fell for men and their lines no matter how charming, but Jax was different. She never expected to like him. There was nothing to do but harder her heart.

Using her fingers, she wiped away her tears and watched for a moment as the sun colored the lake's water in golds and reds.

"Scarlett, come to bed," Jax said, returning to the living room. "I'll let you braid my hair."

He held open his hand to show her the hair elastics in the palm of his hand.

"Can I braid your beard too?" she asked softly.

"Yeah, you can braid my beard too."

If Scarlett had been able to remember it, that was the moment she lost her heart to Jax for the first time.


	115. Chapter 115

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 115 Wake**

Scarlett woke up before Jax, which was amazing given how much medication she'd taken last night. Her back hadn't responded well to yesterday's floating on the lake. Last night, she remembered crying, yelling at Jax and crying some more. It had been a multi-leveled disaster and she owed Jax an apology.

She opened her eyes and saw Jax. His hair was braided again. He even had braids in his beard. She felt her eyebrows to check that they were still there. That was a relief. Her eyebrows were intact.

Oh, hell, she was going to be in so much trouble if he woke up and found his hair braided again. Her eyebrows might not be safe for long.

How could this have happened? Could he have done it to trick her again or could she have braided his hair in her sleep? She had already tried the sleep braiding excuse and it hadn't worked. She must have gone bed after she finished crying and then decided to braid his hair. It could have been worse. At least she hadn't cut his hair.

There had been too many mornings when she woke up to discover she'd trimmed her bangs. Most of those of those mornings it hadn't been a happy discovery and she'd had to remind herself that her hair would grow back.

He was a really sound sleeper, so it shouldn't be that hard to get the braids out of his hair. She used her arms to pull herself closer to Jax and while lying on her right side, she took a braid and decided it would be best to slide the elastic off his braid rather than unwinding the elastic. Faster, less chance of getting caught.

The first one came off easily. The next one would be a little trickier because she had to reach more. He rolled over onto her hand trapping it under him. Son of a bitch. She was screwed now.

Gingerly, she slowly began to inch her hand out from underneath him. He moved again, rolling off her hand. She quickly removed the next braid. Just as she grabbed the next braid, he started coughing. She froze hoping that his coughing wouldn't wake him up.

His eyes remained closed and his coughing stopped. One of the braids on his beard was so close. He especially didn't like the braids on his beard. He rolled over again, but this time she was too quick; she got her hand away before it got trapped.

Her fingers trembled as she gently pulled the elastic out of his hair. She still had five more braids in his hair and three in his beard. He started coughing again. She froze not even daring to breath. He rolled over and this time she wasn't quick enough. Her hand and arm were both pinned under him. It got worse. He opened his eyes.


	116. Chapter 116

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 116 Care**

Dr. Carl Namid had been a great surgeon. He had saved many infants that would not be alive today if not for _his_ surgical skill. A few babies died when the parents thought they should have lived, malpractice suits were filed and settled by insurance companies and hospitals and now he was at a community hospital.

If that hadn't been bad enough, he was beginning to lose his memory. Yesterday he'd been doing a routine hernia repair in a male infant when he went blank. Dr. Knowles stepped in and covered, but she made sure to let him know that she knew what was going on with him.

He needed to keep working a few more months and he wasn't going to let Dr. Knowles get in his way. He had a perfect way to take care of her.


	117. Chapter 117

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 117 GPS**

His phone died just when he needed it most. He didn't have a map and he didn't have his phone charger. That's what happened when he rushed. This was a new sales area for the copy machine salesman and he'd never been to Charming.

The last words his phone said before dying were turn left in 50 feet. He was driving down a narrow poorly maintained road and there was no place to turn left.

He beat his hands on the steering wheel of his Chevy. He continued driving for five minutes hoping he would find the place to turn left. The road began to narrow to one lane. The only thing he could do was to turn around, try to find a major road and get directions the old fashioned way by asking at a gas station.

The turn was tight, there was a ditch and he had a couple of beers with his brunch. The wheels caught in the ditch and he got stuck. He got out of the car to figure out how to get the car free. A hard, sharp right turn and a little luck should do it.

He saw something in the ditch about ten feet up the road. He couldn't resist checking it out. It was the naked body of a woman. The body was washed clean, all except the hair which was matted with blood.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he said aloud as he steered his car out of the ditch. He drove away as fast as he dared.

He had been raised to know right from wrong. He should find the closest place with a phone and call the police. That poor woman was dead whether he called the police or not. A call wouldn't change that.

If he found a pay phone, he might be able to make an anonymous call, but what would happen if the cops tracked him down? If there were pay phones, there would probably also be traffic cameras or business cameras.

He didn't need the attention he'd get with finding a dead body. He just couldn't risk it. He had two DUIs on his record and he'd had a couple of drinks with his brunch. Someone else would just have to find the body.

Shortly after making the decision to keep his discovery to himself, he saw a sign and an arrow pointing him in the direction of Charming. His luck had already begun to change for the better.


	118. Chapter 118

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 118 Blues**

Jax brushed his thumb across Scarlett's lips.

"Waking up with you is never boring."

She looked at him warily.

"You know you have braids."

"I know," he said, trying not to smile. He shook his head and laughed. "You were so damned funny trying to take them out. I had to fake coughing to cover up laughing."

"You were awake the whole time?"

"After the first one."

"Am I in trouble?"

"No," Jax said.

He arranged the pillows so Scarlett was propped up and her back was supported. He then added a pillow to prop himself up so they could look into each other's faces.

"I remember that I was crying and I swore and yelled at you. I'm sorry I yelled and swore at you. I only swear when I'm really angry."

"I swear because it's part of my vocabulary. You were crying and I bribed you to come back to bed by letting you braid my hair."

Scarlett tried to keep Jax out of her heart by reminding herself that Jax had been with hundreds of women and he knew what to say in any situation. She wasn't special to him.

His laser blue eyes softened to a warmer blue. She tried to keep her heart hard and strong against this onslaught of charm.

"My eyebrows are safe," she said.

"You don't think I was serious about taking a razor to your eyebrow, do you?"

"I was hoping that you were kidding."

"Scarlett, I would never hurt you."

"Knowing me could get you hurt or killed," she said. "A few months ago, I almost got caught. I was late. A couple of people who were going to dinner with me for my birthday were executed. I live with the pain that those loved ones that were left behind experience. Not a day goes by when I don't wonder if I had been on time, maybe I could have saved their lives."

"I know what that's like. It will eat you up and destroy you."

"I don't want you to die because you know me. When I told you to leave when I thought we were going to be attacked, I meant it."

"I know you did. Scarlett, I belong to an outlaw MC. There's a certain amount of danger attached to that. It's part of life. I accept it."

"Death might be the best of it. My psycho ex gave me a puppy. I named him Charlie because he was a Cavalier King Charles spaniel. I'd wanted one for a long time. I loved him. When I would walk him, this woman used to come out and talk to me. We became friends. When I would travel, I'd leave my puppy with her. I think Charlie loved her as much as he did me.

"When I knew I was going to have to run, I secretly gave him to my friend. I told my ex that she was taking care of him while we were on our honeymoon. After I ran, I got a message a few days later. My ex sent me a video. My father grabbed my phone out of my hand and stopped the video. He also changed the passwords on all my accounts and closed them so I could never see the video. He didn't just kill Charlie, he tortured him, cut him into pieces while he was still alive and recorded it. The small clip I saw haunts me," Scarlett's eyes filled with tears.

Jax gently brushed away her tears.

"How could someone be that evil?" she asked.

He leaned down and kissed her with a tenderness she never expected to find in an outlaw biker.


	119. Chapter 119

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 119 Tough**

Sex was Jax's go to solution for any problem with a woman. It had been such an effective solution, he had rarely needed a back-up plan. Last night, he had comforted her by letting her braid his hair. He was out of options. He doubted unbraiding his hair would have the same effect.

"I wish there was something I could do to make you feel better," Jax said softly.

"I just need a couple of minutes. I've trained my mind to block all that out, but every once in a while, it hits me. This damned back injury makes me feel weak and vulnerable."

"You _are_ weak and vulnerable. That might be a good thing. I'm not sure I could handle you at full strength."

"Now _that's_ funny," Scarlett said with a faint smile.

Jax used restraint as he kissed her softly and gently. It was difficult to kiss her in bed. Painful even because he wanted more from her and there was no way that was going to happen.

He normally slept in boxers, but with Scarlett sharing a bed, he wore a loose fitting pair of lightweight sweats and a short-sleeved white T-shirt to show respect and help with some of his self-control.

He stroked her hair and she rested her head against his chest. He wanted to wrap her in his arms and roll her under his body, but he knew he couldn't do that. Going without sex was difficult. He didn't just want sex; he wanted Scarlett. It wasn't because he wanted to add her to his collection. It was because he had feelings for her that he hadn't felt since Tara and those feelings for Tara had died years ago.

"I should undo your braids," Scarlett said.

She was calm and seemed to have shaken off her grief.

"You really don't remember braiding my hair?"

"No. I was afraid I'd braided your hair when I was in that not remembering period, which is what happened."

Her fingers fumbled with the elastics on the braids in his beard.

"Was your father right about you not liking facial hair?"

"I don't like stubble. My skin is sensitive and I hate the feel of stubble against my skin. Your beard's OK because it's soft."

Her fingers stroked his beard gently.

Jax groaned.

"Enough. There's a limit to how much I can take and I've hit it."

"Sorry. I've never felt that."

"I promise you that I will make you beg me to make love to you."

Scarlett laughed and flinched as the muscles in her back and stomach pulled.

"I don't think that's possible, but pretending that it _is_ possible—are you going to leave me wanting you or are you going to satisfy me?"

"What do you think?" he asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"How about I make a confession?" she said with a grin. "I don't think you are really hot with braids. I think it's hilarious that there's this big, tough outlaw biker with braids in his hair. The braids on your beard are the funniest."

Jax shook his head and laughed. He also vowed to remember this when Scarlett was on fire for him and was begging him for sex.


	120. Chapter 120

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 120 Surgery**

Tara assisted Dr. Namid again. He performed the surgery without any lapses, but Tara refused to believe that she was wrong about him. She had learned to trust her instincts. They were almost always right.

When he complimented her, said that she had an elegant surgery style and that was something that couldn't be taught in school, she smiled and thanked him for the compliment. Men always thought flattery would work. It never worked with her unless the words were coming from Jax. Nothing much ever worked for her unless Jax was connected to it.

When she talked to Jax, she was going to casually mention that St. Thomas had paid her to come to Charming. St. Thomas was trying to avoid closing by building a neo-natal program. There was a lot of money to be made in caring for babies, especially the sick ones. They ran up huge bills. One good surgeon could easily bring in several million dollars to the hospital.

She wanted to make it clear, so everyone knew she was at St. Thomas because it was the most lucrative. It was just too pathetic to admit she was back for Jax. It wasn't completely true, but close enough. Her training and skill had given her many career opportunities. St. Thomas' job offer was near the bottom of the list in terms of pay, but she didn't have to say that. That kind of information was confidential.

She _had_ wanted to work with the legendary Dr. Namid. Maybe most of the legend was the work of some good publicist somewhere carefully crafting Dr. Namid's reputation. She had done seven surgeries with Dr. Namid and had yet to see the kind of skill that justified his legendary status. At best he was mediocre, performing surgeries adequately, but not displaying the skill needed to do some of the very difficult procedures including organ transplants on infants.

Tara knew of doctors who used publicists to build a public image and bring patients to the practice. Medicine was big business. Med school and specialized surgical training cost a small fortune before a doctor could really make money. It was an intense and highly stressful training program. Patients were paying for a piece of that training and the skill that went with it.

She was determined to dig into Dr. Namid and figure out just what was going on with him. The fact that he had gone out of his way to compliment her in front of all of the OR staff, raised her suspicions. She had nothing but time on her hands since Jax wasn't in town and she had the ability to access hospital records from her laptop.

Dr. Namid had picked the wrong woman to try that male flattery shit on.


	121. Chapter 121

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 121 Flush**

Wendy's mother Wilda flung open the door of Dubrowski's and stormed in. It was early afternoon and she was drunk. She was typically getting drunk, drunk or passed out. Life looked better through an alcohol filter especially living in Charming's least desirable trailer park, Charming Little Estates.

"Where the hell is my daughter?" Wilda screamed slurring her words.

She was a sorry sight. Her long red hair was dirty and matted, her black eyeliner shakily applied and her bright coral lipstick smudged all around her lips and not on her lips. She was wearing tight black pants and a tiger striped low cut top.

She weaved her way through the back door of the crematorium. She shook her head hoping that would get the room to quit spinning.

Skeeter jumped startled by her sudden appearance.

"Who are you looking for?" Skeeter asked.

"Wendy Case."

"Yeah, burned her last night," Skeeter said.

He had a shelf with white boxes most 12'' by 4" but there were a few smaller boxes that contained the remains of children. He went to the box with Wendy's name on it, her date of death and the date she was cremated.

He handed the box to Wendy's mother.

"See, I did her last night," Skeeter said pointing to the date. "She's fresh."

Wilda narrowed her brown eyes at Skeeter.

"You're a stupid mother fucker. Bathroom _now_!"

"We don't have public facilities. If you drive around to the front and go through the front door, they can direct you to the nice clean bathrooms."

"Didn't ask for clean just a bathroom."

Skeeter pointed and Wilda stumbled her way through the door he'd pointed out. The toilet flushed many times before Wilda walked out still carrying the white box.

"Won't be needing that," she said handing the box back to Skeeter.

He looked inside the bag and saw the empty plastic bag that previously contained the remains of Wendy Case.

"Uh . . . what did you do with her?"

"She wanted her ashes spread over water."

Wilda staggered out the door.


	122. Chapter 122

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 122 Parole**

Scarlett was slowly and painfully pacing while Jax had one last swim. Her phone rang. She pulled it out of her jeans pocket and looked at the caller ID. David Hale. She sent the call to her voice mail. She was glad he'd called. He could be useful and she needed to establish a friendship with him.

Jax walked up the steps to the deck soaking wet.

"Come close, darlin' and you can dry me off."

"Didn't you once offer to dry me off with your tongue?"

Jax chuckled.

"Standing offer. Anytime you like."

"Here's my standing reply—never," she said with a grin.

"OK, Scars, I'll get the charcoal started and then jump in the shower."

"Scars?"

"You don't remember that either? You were telling me about your back surgery scar and showed it to me."

"How did I show you? With your eyes or with your hands?"

"You took my hands and showed me where you were sliced open."

Jax closed the gap between them and touched her spine, his fingers going to the base of her spine above the butt crack or tramp stamp area as it was more popularly known.

She looked into his eyes, narrowing her eyes as she studied his face.

"Under or over my clothes?" she challenged him.

"Over, of course. You did insist that I touch the long scar on your ankle because you were bragging about the skill of the orthopedist who did the surgery and how flat the scar healed. I've got to say, you were right. That thing's practically invisible and flawlessly healed."

"It really is. Would you mind swinging by an urgent care or an ER so I can get a prescription for physiotherapy? I can't get one in Charming because I'm using a different name for all the medical treatment for this injury."

"I didn't know you needed a prescription."

"Some places will take you without, but I need to go somewhere with great therapists. This isn't an easy injury to fix. Could you help me sit in a deck chair? I'm really stiff today."

Jax helped Scarlett by holding out his arm. She grabbed it. He lowered his arm and Scarlett lowered her body, he paused to give her back a moment to adjust to this new position before lowering his arm again until she was finally low enough to sit in the chair.

After lighting the charcoal, he left. Scarlett watched the flames. There was just nothing like a real barbeque complete with fire. In California when she smelled smoke, she thought wild fire. In Texas, she would think a new BBQ place opened up.

She was dreading the return to Charming. This had been a nice escape and now it was back to work. She wondered how much she'd see of Jax. Despite her loner nature, she'd begun to enjoy having him around.

Her phone rang and it was her father's ringtone.

"Is Jax around?"

"No, we're still at the house. He's taking a shower then we're going to eat and leave."

"Have you looked at the internet?"

"No."

Bad news had a way of starting with those words. Scarlett felt fear spread through her body.

"Buck Jeffers got parole."

Scarlett's mind went blank and she looked at the phone her hand shaking.

"Scarlett? Scarlett? Are you still there?"

"Yeah," she said softly. "I thought he had to do another ten years."

"He appealed his sentence and got time knocked off."

"If he's on probation, he can't leave the state. He'll have to stay in Texas."

"He can try to get permission or violate his parole. The parole system isn't that strong."

"There aren't any SOA chapters in Texas. He can't be in the MC anymore, can he?"

"To leave the MC, he would have to be kicked out or resign. My sources say neither has happened. The MCs have what they call a nomad chapter for members without a permanent chapter."

"I can't believe a man who sold kids for sex is getting out of jail so soon."

"Unfortunately, he never got charged for that. He'll be getting out in a couple of weeks. I'll let you know the exact date when one is assigned."

"He's going to come out here. I know it. He's going to join SAMCRO."

Just as she said SAMCRO, Jax walked out onto the deck wearing one of his "Reaper Crew" T-shirts complete with reaper graphic.


	123. Chapter 123

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 123 Inhaler**

This was a _fucking_ disaster. The ashes of Jax Teller's almost ex-wife had just been flushed down the toilet because he'd entrusted them to Wacky Wilda, her citywide nickname.

How the hell could he have been that stupid? There was a reason her nickname was Wacky. Drinking wasn't the worst of her problems. She was crazy.

 _Son of a bitch_. Now, he was going to get the shit beat out of him by Jax—maybe worse. Wendy may have been an almost ex-wife, but Jax wouldn't be OK with her ashes being flushed down the toilet.

Skeeter reached for his inhaler in his back pocket. He'd been diagnosed with adult onset asthma three years after he started burning bodies. He couldn't quit his job; he loved it. For the first time in his life, he fit somewhere. He belonged.

He shook his inhaler and took the first puff into his lungs. He waited a minute and took another puff. He always thought of it as a miracle when he went from being unable to get air into his lungs to being able to breathe again in the space of seconds.

He had one basic decision: tell Jax the truth about Wendy's ashes or lie. He could look at it differently. Did he want to get a beat down by Jax or not? Suddenly, his decision got a lot easier. He'd just take some ashes from some of the other remains to refill Wendy's bag. He was the only one who would ever know.

He would tell Jax that he had given Wilda the ashes from someone who had been sitting on the shelf for more than a year. She was so drunk she never noticed the name on the box wasn't Wendy's. When she sobered up, she would regret her actions if she remembered them. It was the best solution for everyone.

There was a tremendous boom. Skeeter flung open the door and walked as fast as he could to see what happened. Wilda's beat up Mercury Marquis had jumped the sidewalk and crashed into a fire hydrant that was now shooting water into the air like a geyser.

She was trying to runaway, her face bloody from hitting the windshield in her pre-airbag car. She stumbled and staggered her way down the sidewalk until she lurched into a bush, fell and then crawled inside the bush to hide leaving her knees, ankles and feet sticking out.

Skeeter shook his head snickering. Wilda had just been bitch slapped by Karma.


	124. Chapter 124

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 124 Changes**

Jax stared at Scarlett when she opened her bedroom door. Gone was the icy blonde hair and green eyes. She had short ash brown hair and dark almost black eyes. She'd used make up to cover her naturally dark eyebrows and had penciled in thin light brown brows as replacements. She'd also used a nude color on her lips to make them blend into her face and be less prominent. She was wearing brown pants and a looser darker brown shirt that didn't call attention to her breasts.

"Recognize me?"

"If I passed you on the street, I wouldn't recognize you. Looking at you and studying your face, I can see Scarlet underneath, but it takes a minute."

"In this disguise, my name is Annie Olson. The way I've changed my appearance is pretty basic. It's the standard way actresses make themselves look plain. I also have glasses that go with this."

"You've got some interesting skills."

"You have _no_ idea, baby," she said grinning.

"Satisfy my curiosity. I want to see if it feels different when I kiss you."

"You don't need an excuse to kiss me," she said.

Jax walked to her and put his arms around her taking care not to bend or move her spine. He kissed her with softness and control, building the kiss slowly and slowly until he stopped. He wanted to leave her wanting more—the same way he felt every time he kissed her.

He was used to seeing the expression in her green eyes when he looked into them, but with the colored contacts in place, her emotions no longer appeared in her eyes. They were masked by the contacts.

"Different?" she asked.

"At first and then it felt like you, even if you didn't look like you."

"Well, there is one thing that Annie and I have in common."

"What's that?"

"Neither one of us will ever have sex with you," she said with a teasing smile.

He missed the sparkle in her green eyes.

"Scarlett, we both know that the reason you keep telling me that you will never have sex with me is because it's all you can think about. You're just trying to convince yourself that you can resist my charm, darlin'."

"Time will tell. The reason I have to use a disguise is my father thinks my ex found me through my medical records. All that stuff is online now. My job had health benefits and my psycho ex could have paid off a couple of people at different insurance companies or paid someone to hack insurance company medical records hoping one day I'd use insurance and he could use that to find me.

"It sounds impossible, but it isn't. I'm taller than the average woman, I have green eyes, that's also a smaller part of the population, my age could help filter out women and my surgical history isn't that common especially someone in my age range. That could narrow it down enough to make a search possible. Now I will pay cash and use a fake ID."

"I think your father's right. It makes sense."

"I don't want any of my medical stuff to track back to Charming."

"We should head out. Is there anything else to load. I got your suitcases."

"There's a small suitcase on the bed. It has clothes and stuff for this identity. I would appreciate it if you would bring that."

They both did a walk through of the house to make sure they hadn't left anything behind.

"I'm going to miss this place," Jax said as he shut the lights off.

"We can come back whenever you can get some time off," Scarlett said. "You can't swim when it's cold, but it's still got a beautiful view."

They got into Scarlett's car and began the drive back to Charming.

"Did you decide where you wanted to stop to get your prescription?"

"Yeah, I've got the directions on my phone," Scarlett said, pulling up the information on the phone and letting it provide the directions. "It's supposed to be a slower time according to the internet."

A half hour later, Scarlett walked into the Urgent Care Clinic. An hour later, they were on their way again the prescription for six weeks of physiotherapy in Annie's hand. Jax parked the car behind a grocery store, so Annie could change into Scarlett.

She used antibacterial gel to clean her hands before removing her dark brown colored contact lenses. Next she pulled off the wig and cap she wore over her hair to make the wig easier to get on and fluffed her hair. She reached into her purse and used several make-up removal wipes to remove the make up. For the final transformation, she took off her shirt revealing a cream colored sleeveless top.

"That took less than five minutes," Jax said impressed with her speed.

"It's always faster to take off all the stuff than put it on."

"I've noticed that too. It doesn't take long to take a woman's clothes off, but sometimes it takes them forever to get dressed."

"And leave, so you can bring in the next round of willing women," Scarlett said.

The sparkle was back in her green eyes as she teased him.

"I'm not as heartless as you make me out to be," Jax protested.

"I know. You've been kind to me in all sorts of ways, I see it all and I am grateful for it all," Scarlett said seriously.

"Scarlett, you are easy to be kind too. That trip to the lake house—the one on Arrowhead—really helped me decompress from life."

Jax returned to the freeway and they continued their journey back to Charming.

"I want to tell you something that is a really big secret. I know that with the MC you tell each other everything, but what I'm going to tell you doesn't have anything to do with them. When I ran away from my ex, I didn't run away empty handed. I discovered a small room hidden in the master bedroom's closet. It was like an old movie. I moved this hook and the door swung open. It was crazy. The room was about ten or twelve feet long and barely wide enough to turn around in. It was filled with money."

"How much did you take?"

"All of it."

Jax laughed. Scarlett was the most awesome woman he'd ever met.


	125. Chapter 125

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 125 Attorneys**

She was looking down at the water from her apartment window, hoping that she might catch Jax walking round the lake, preferably without the blonde whore. It was probably too early.

He only walked around the lake when he was with the blonde whore. She might never see Jax walking around the lake again. Maybe the blonde whore wasn't so bad after all.

She enjoyed watching Jax walking around the lake up in her little apartment perch safe from detection. Sometimes, she would pretend she was the blonde whore and imagine what she would say to him. He would laugh and kiss her. He would see that on the inside, she was more beautiful than the blonde.

The only thing that dampened her enthusiasm for Jax's return was the body still hadn't been found. She hated the waiting. If she buried the bodies, she wouldn't have to feel the agony of waiting for someone to notice her work.

Not burying a body allowed the crime scene to get contaminated with animal and insect activity making it harder for forensics. There was also the display factor. She loved the idea of people looking at her work and recoiling in horror just like in a slasher movie. The scene in the first _Scream_ when the parents discover their daughter hanging from a tree with her guts spilling out was her favorite movie scene of all time.

It was such a rush when people found a body and everyone was talking about her handiwork only they didn't know it was her handiwork. The stupid cops hadn't even figured out that the killings were done by one person because she was smarter than all of them combined.

The key to keeping cops from figuring out that it was one killer and not a bunch of random killings was to kill in different counties and different cities. They didn't link the crimes because they only had one or two in their area.

She knew a great serial killer had to mix it up. Change up the victims and the methods of murder. She took all this very seriously because getting caught would get her a death sentence, which in California just meant hanging out on Death Row until death watching TV and eating junk food. Other than the locked up part, it wouldn't be that bad.

Cali's Death Row was more of a fantasy. No one had been put to death in decades. It made attorneys rich, which might be the real point. It was all a scam by attorneys. The State ended up paying for all the appeals. Attorneys were such a bunch of crooks. Those were the people who deserved to die, slowly and painfully.

Her face flushed and she pounded her fists against the wall, her hate for attorneys spilling out into physical violence.

After she killed Louise next week, maybe she should kill an attorney. Maybe even really mix it up and kill a male attorney. That could feel really good.

There was an attorney that the Sons of Anarchy used. Rosen. Maybe after Louise it would be Rosen's time to die. Or, maybe kill Rosen next.

Her rage and hatred of attorneys spilled out again and she punched the walls.


	126. Chapter 126

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 126 Outlaw**

Scarlett was so much more than a hot blonde with a red Corvette. He had no idea what a complex and fascinating woman she would turn out to be when he saw her in those shorts looking under the hood of her car. This newly discovered outlaw side to Scarlett was irresistible.

"I used to be a law and order type," Scarlett said, "but I lost that luxury when I had to run from my ex. When I found the money, it was go on the run with money or without. It wasn't really much of a decision. The best part was he couldn't call the police; the money was all illegally earned."

"You know, I believe you are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Jax said.

Scarlett laughed.

"I bet you say that to all the girls after they tell they permanently borrowed a room full of money."

"You've got a point."

"It's my criminal abilities that you are awed by," she said.

"I am awed by them. How did you ever figure out there was a hidden room?"

"It was a few weeks before the wedding and I was staying in a guest house on his property on Star Island in Florida. I was using the master bedroom. I noticed that the hook in the closet was crooked. It just seemed really strange to me because he was very particular about things being right. I touched the hook and it was loose. I swung it around, just playing with it and the door to the hidden room opens. Suddenly, I'm standing there in this room of money. It was crazy."

"How did you pull off getting the money out?"

"I told my father and he went out and got some equipment to sweep the money room to see if there was any kind of surveillance on the room. There wasn't. I had a security team of four with me all the time even when I went out shopping. A few days before my wedding, I went shopping all day. Security went with me while my father stayed at the house and removed the money. He left a camera in the room, so we could see when my ex discovered the money was gone."

"Genius. How long did it take him to find out?"

"Almost two weeks after I left him standing at the altar. I guess he didn't think that I would find it. I would have walked away with nothing if he would have left me alone, but based on his past pattern with girlfriends and the fact that I knew some of his illegal activities, there was no way he wouldn't come after me. It's such a TV/movie myth that you can bring someone down with a single computer file. I didn't take the money out of greed. I took it because having it gave my father and me a better chance of staying alive."

"What did he do when he discovered the money was missing?"

"He looked like he was going to explode with anger. He started kicking the shelves. He found the camera and threw it against the wall and then squashed it like a bug. Here's the extra credit part—he doesn't know for sure who took the money. Sometimes his security people were alone in the house. One or more of them could have taken the money."

"Would he kill them?"

"If he could prove to himself who took the money. He isn't a forgiving person, so his security staff was hardcore mean. If he told one of them to run a baby over with his car, the guy would do it. These were scary guys. I pitched a fit when they started following me around the house. I couldn't get rid of them, but I did get them banned from the second story of the house where my bedroom was. When I was away from the house, they watched me like a hawk, but I pretended that I really believed him when he told me he was concerned about my safety because there had been a threat on my life."

"Was there really a threat on your life?"

"I don't think so, but I pretended that I believed him. I couldn't let him know that I knew he was going to kill me in an accident on our honeymoon."

"How did you find that out?"

"I knew enough about him to worry him, but I didn't know enough or have the proof to blackmail him into leaving me alone. I don't have proof that he was going to kill me, but when he would talk about the honeymoon, it just made my blood run cold. I've learned to trust my instincts and it would have been easy to arrange an accident. He has money and power. No one would care about me. He would get to play the part of the widower and get lots of attention and sympathy."

"He might really think one of his security guys stole the money. The guard would blame it on you. He might not know you took the money."

"I wish I were a better person and could say that I would feel bad if one of the guards took the consequences for my father's and my actions, but those guys are just so devoid of human emotion. I don't know what trauma they endured to end up like that, but they are scary. I can't fix them."

"I can't fix them?"

"I know. There's this part of me that wants to fix people. I wasn't marrying my ex for his money so I could have expensive clothes and bags and fly on private planes. I wanted to do good. I wanted to help kids. I was working on a charity that begins with one elementary school in a small town. Something small enough that I could really see what needed to be done and make a difference. I know that sounds stupid and idealistic."

There it was again; that soft side to Scarlett. She was an odd mix of sweetness with a streak of outlaw. Her outlaw skills might even be better than his.

"I didn't tell you all this so you would be amazed at my outlaw side. I have a business proposal for you."

"Let me guess, you want me to kill your ex?"

"Are you insane?" Scarlett looked at him with shock. "That would be a suicide mission."


	127. Chapter 127

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 127 Eyes**

Gemma poured herself another martini and handed Clay another bottle of beer.

"I can't believe Jax has been so out of touch. Wait until I get my hands on him," Gemma said.

Clay had a pounding headache. Each heart beat felt like a hammer slamming into his head. He had listened to Gemma bitch about Jax for more than a half hour straight and that didn't count all the other times she'd whined about him.

"Shut the fuck up," Clay said sourly. "I don't blame him for getting away from you. He's a man, not a fucking three year old."

"I don't know why you can't be more supportive," Gemma snapped indignantly. "You don't know what it's like to be a father."

"Gemma I meant it when I told you to shut the fuck up. Do it or I will do more than bounce you off a couple of walls. Quit the fucking bitching. You're like one of those little purse dogs with all your yapping."

Clay knew what it was like to be a father, just not in the way Gemma meant. He'd cheated with a Crow-eater at the Laredo chapter twice. The stupid bitch got pregnant. She'd refused to have an abortion and he'd refused to be a father.

He didn't know what had happened to her until he'd gone to the former Crow-eater's house to kill her for being a rat and he saw her daughter—his daughter. She had long wavy dark hair and wide green eyes. A truly beautiful kid.

He would never forget the look in her green eyes when she saw him choking the life out of her mother. If he ever saw his daughter again, he would have to kill her because there was no statue of limitations on murder. His daughter could get him the death penalty or life without parole. Daughter or not, she had to die.

Every day since he'd killed her mother, he'd expected a knock on the door from the cops arresting him for murder. It was only in the last couple of years that he'd relaxed.

All that changed with a phone call from the president of the Nomad chapter of SOA who told him Bucky Jeffers was getting out on parole. Clay hoped like hell he would stay the fuck away from the Charming chapter.

The past was better dead and buried.


	128. Chapter 128

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 128 Feelings**

Scarlett was normally calm and even-tempered, but when her pain level was high, her control slipped. The more she thought about Jax thinking that she would ask him to kill her ex, the angrier she grew.

"So, you don't want me to kill your ex for you?"

"I want him dead, but that's different from getting someone to kill him. Did you miss the part when I told you that he travels with a security team?"

"I heard that."

"You think I am so cold and cruel that I would ask you or pay you to do something that would get you killed? What the hell is wrong with you?" Scarlett raised her voice.

"Why are you so angry?"

"Because I would never treat you so badly and ask you to do something that would get you killed. Why the hell would you even think that?"

Scarlett looked out the passenger's side window. She figured out then that she was furious because he'd hurt her. She wasn't used to men hurting her feelings because she wasn't used to having feelings for a man.

She was glad she was wearing sunglasses, so the tears in her eyes couldn't be seen. She hated weakness in herself.

"I'm sorry," Jax said.

Scarlett remained silent. She didn't believe his apology. He was only apologizing because she was angry. He didn't mean it.

Her physical condition increased her danger. The weakness in her body was taking its toll on her mentally. That could be the only explanation for why Jax's words had crushed her.

Maybe it would be best to just leave Charming, get the medical help she needed and come back in a year or two. She'd waited this long to get justice for her mother, another two years wouldn't matter that much. She would use that time to toughen up her heart, so Jax Teller wouldn't be able to hurt her.

"Scarlett, I've had a lot of people ask me to do various illegal activities for them including murder."

"You think I could send you into a situation that's deadly? It doesn't even make sense. I tried to get you to leave when I thought there was a team coming. I didn't want you to die. Why would I then ask you to do something that would get you killed?"

"I know. I also know that you were serious when you tried to get me to leave. It sounded like you were going to ask me to do something for you. My mind just jumped to the most extreme action. I should have thought it through a little more."

"I was going to ask you to do something for me. It's safe and legal. I told you about the money because I wanted you to help me and I didn't think you would take money from me if you thought I was a poor struggling woman trying to start a business."

"I really am sorry. I should have known that you wouldn't ask me to do something that would get me killed. What do you want my help with?"

"I'll think of another way," she said.

The more she thought about leaving Charming, the better she liked the idea. She could get away from Jax and his strange ability to hurt her feelings. She shouldn't even be having feelings about Jax.


	129. Chapter 129

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 129 Strapped**

Hale had been down the street staking out a used car lot that he suspected might be selling hot cars, so when the call came in that there was a single car crash a block away, he had beaten the ambulance to the scene.

He pulled his police cruiser into the parking lot. It was just like dispatch reported. There was Wilda's car smashed into a fire hydrant and she was in a bush with her knees, legs and feet sticking out. Most drunk driving or drunk in public arrests were made at night; Wilda was an exception. She got arrested at all hours of the day and night.

Hale left the cruiser as the fire truck and ambulance both pulled up. The fire department immediately dealt with the fire hydrant by turning the water off. That reduced the noise and some of the chaos at the scene.

"Wilda, could you come out of the bush?" Hale said with surprising gentleness. "You may have hit your head and we need to make sure you are OK."

"I'm hiding," she slurred.

"That's a good idea. Come out of the bush and as soon as we make sure you're head is OK, I'll help you hide," Hale said.

He was treating her with an unusual amount of compassion because he had heard about Wendy's and her newborn granddaughter's deaths. Normally, he had little compassion with people who drive drunk.

Wilda had lost her driver's license years ago, but it didn't stop her from driving, but thanks to California's drunk driving friendly laws, she had never spent more than twenty-four hours in jail. Every time he saw Wilda driving, he arrested her and pressed as many charges as legally possible, but Wilda always escaped serving any jail time. He knew it was only a matter of time before she killed someone.

"Don't want cops to get me," Wilda said.

"I don't blame you," one of the paramedics said. "Come on out of the bush, so I can help you."

Hale was reluctant to drag her out of the bush because he didn't want to injure her and, usually with a little coaxing, Wilda could be talked out of wherever she was hiding. Crashing her car and running were part of Wilda's pattern.

"You a cop?"

"Not me," the paramedic assured her.

Wilda backed out of the bush. The paramedics were on her in a flash, fastening a cervical collar around her neck and loading her onto a gurney. They swiftly strapped her feet and arms down to keep her from fighting. This wasn't the first time they had dealt with Wilda. They had learned she kicked, slapped and bit unless she was strapped down.

"I'll send a unit to meet you at the hospital," Hale told the paramedics.

The ambulance left and Hale began the accident report. Maybe this time, they could lock-up Wilda. It was the only way she was ever going to quit drinking and at least if she were locked up, he wouldn't have to worry about her driving the streets drunk.


	130. Chapter 130

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 130 Nose**

Jax couldn't understand why Scarlett was so angry with him over asking her if she was asking him to kill her ex. He put it down to the mysteries of women.

He just remembered something JT told him when he was little. When girls were giving him trouble, give them chocolate. Now that he was thinking about it, JT used that on Gemma and it usually worked.

"There's this little place just outside Charming that has the best chili dogs and onion rings. They also have the best hot fudge sundaes you've ever eaten. You mind if we stop there?"

"No, I'd like a sundae. Hot fudge sounds good."

Scarlett seemed less angry with him. Give that one to JT. It was nice to think about his father's wisdom, forgotten until this moment, reaching out from years ago helping him. He could have used his father's guidance in his life. Instead, he got Clay.

"I'll help you out of the car," Jax said after he'd parked the car at Roadside Food Heaven.

Jax let his hands linger on Scarlett's body as he helped her out of the car. She didn't pull away. She was definitely less angry.

As soon as Scarlett saw the three bite mini chili cheese dogs, she realized she was hungry. Jax ordered their food while Scarlett found them a table.

"I used to come here a lot with Opie—he's my best friend—when we were learning to ride bikes," Jax explained. "We'd come here to ride on the open road."

A server came with almost a dozen mini chili cheese dogs and a mound of crispy onion rings.

"There's just something so comforting about a plateful of unhealthy food," Scarlett said before biting into her first mini chili cheese dog. "Absolutely delicious. I'm glad you thought about coming here."

"It's been awhile. Save room for the ice cream sundae," Jax said.

"Not a problem. There's always room for ice cream especially if it has chocolate over it."

After finishing their food, Jax got them hot fudge sundaes. His sundae was made with strawberry ice cream while she'd stuck to the traditional vanilla. The restaurant's ice cream was homemade and it was limited to strawberry, vanilla and chocolate. The lack of variety didn't hurt the business because the ice cream was so delicious.

"I never thought of strawberry ice cream with hot fudge, but it makes sense. Strawberries get dipped in chocolate," Scarlett said looking at Jax's ice cream.

"You want a taste?" Jax asked dipping his spoon into ice cream and hot fudge.

"Of course," she said, leaning a little forward, so he could get the spoon into her mouth. "That is delicious. That strawberry ice cream really tastes like strawberries. Most strawberry ice cream is just vanilla with a few chopped up berries."

"I do have great taste," Jax with mock seriousness.

"OK. I'll give you that."

"You've got chocolate on your nose," Jax said.

"I do," Scarlett said. She raised her forefinger and touched her nose. "There's no . . ."

Jax dipped his finger in the last bit of chocolate in his bowl and touched Scarlett's nose.

She looked at him, her eyes sparkling with laughter and she was smiling ear to ear. He felt it then. A kick to the heart. He understood now how she had wrapped her father around her little finger. He wouldn't let that happen to him, but he might have to admit that he was losing his heart to her.

Scarlett left the chocolate on her nose until they were ready to leave. He suggested they take a walk before returning to the car. There was a small park nearby. He took her elbow automatically and matched his pace to hers. She took small steps and walked slowly, but he knew that her pain level determined how fast she walked.

Judging by her pace, he thought she had to be in a lot of pain. She didn't complain though. That just made him more observant and careful to help her. They only walked for twenty minutes before Jax decided that her back was worse and they needed to head back to Charming.

Scarlett had changed motels. She had already registered online and made sure to get a room on the first floor. None of Charming's motels had elevators.

Of the four motels in Charming, this motel was the nicest. The furnishings were newer and a little more expensive, but that was about the only difference Jax could see. The one disadvantage was Scarlett's car couldn't be seen from the street. He wouldn't be able to ride past to check on her car.

He brought her luggage in, put two suitcases on a desk and opened them for her. He also put her smaller bag on a little table next to a chair.

They stood there face to face. Jax knew he should leave, but he didn't want to leave. Jax laughed and shook his head.

"What's so funny?" she demanded.

"My mother is probably circling the block waiting to pounce on me the second I get home."

Scarlett burst into laughter quickly wrapping her arms around her waist to minimize the pulling muscle pain laughter caused.

"Here you are a big, tough biker who shows not a trace of fear at the prospect of facing a team of ruthless mercenaries that will kill him, but you're afraid of your mother."

"There's one big difference. I can't use an AK on my mother."

They both laughed.

"If you want to avoid facing your mother tonight, you can hide out with me."

"What if I just want to stay with you tonight?"

Scarlett sucked in her breath.

"That's OK too," she said softly.

"I'll get my bag."

Jax returned to the room and dumped his bag.

"I want to take a really hot shower before I take my medication. I've signed into my laptop. I've got DVDs downloaded and some actual DVDs. Pick out whatever you want to watch."

Jax changed into his sleeping attire and looked over her DVD collection. He picked out a one season wonder of a show called _Undeclared_. It was about students in their first year at college. A blonde exchange student named Lloyd bore a striking resemblance to Jax only Lloyd had an English accent.

"That guy looks like he could be your identical twin brother," Scarlett said watching the first episode.

"No way. His hair is the right color, but that's about it," Jax said.

They watched an episode called "Addicts" that left Scarlett in awe of Lloyd's dancing skills.

"I could never do that leg jump thing. I don't have the coordination. I'd end up in a heap on the floor," Scarlett said.

"It doesn't look that hard," Jax said. He studied that dance sequence and he got the move on his second try.

"I'm very impressed," Scarlett said. "I have absolutely no coordination."

"You just need the right man to teach it to you."

"Are we still talking about dancing?"

"What do you think?"

Scarlett's face was flushed and, for a moment, her composure slipped.

"I think it's time we talked business," she said regaining her composure. "I have a proposal for you."

 ** _Author's Note: Prior to SOA, Charlie Hunnam appeared on Undeclared an American TV series about college students living in the dorms during their first year of college. The dance move he does is in the episode "Addicts". The dance move is on the internet. You can watch the episode on the internet for free. Just type in Undeclared TV series Addicts or something similar._**


	131. Chapter 131

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 131 Found**

She went by Jax's house. The lights were out. It was hard to tell if that meant that Jax were home and asleep or if he were still gone.

She had to find out whether Jax was home, but how? Calling and hanging up was great until caller ID ruined that. She could knock on the door, run, hide and wait to see if Jax answered the door. The neighbors might see and she could never explain away her behavior. She could try to look in the windows, but she was back to getting seen and not being able to explain.

Deep in her heart, she knew Jax had left town with the blonde whore. He hadn't taken his bike and the blonde whore's car disappeared at the same time. That was how she could track Jax down. Look for the blonde's car. She went back to her former motel, but there was no red Corvette there.

Could the blonde have taken Jax away forever? Could he really be that crazy about her that he would leave Charming, SAMCRO and Gemma? No. There was no way a woman could get him to do that.

Maybe there was something about this woman that Jax couldn't resist. She might never see Jax again. She squeezed her eyes shut, hoping to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks. This was stupid. She was thinking crazy. Jax would be back in Charming and life would go on just like it always did.

The body still hadn't been found. She hadn't seen anything about a young woman being reported missing. No one missed her. She had done a good thing by killing this young woman and sending her to a better place. And she'd had a lot of fun killing her before sending her off to that better place. It had been a win-win situation for them both.

She had just come up with a great idea. Maybe the blonde whore had changed motels. She found the blonde's car after driving into the last motel's parking lot. There was the red Corvette tucked away where it couldn't be seen from the street.

The blonde whore must have brought Jax back, but she didn't understand why Jax stayed overnight with her in a motel when his house was a few minutes away or why he didn't bring her to his house.

She had accidentally cheered herself up. If Jax cared about the blonde whore, he would bring her to his house. He didn't want her to know where he lived. That's why he stayed in motels with her.

She heaved a sigh of relief. The blonde whore wasn't any different from any of the other girls Jax had sex with. This one had just lasted a little longer than the others. That's all. It didn't mean she was special or that Jax had feelings for her.

She decided to go by the convenience store and get a six pack of beer to celebrate. Louise should be working. She could fantasize about killing her next week. Life was back to being good again.


	132. Chapter 132

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 132 Deal**

After finishing his dance demo, Jax sat down on the bed near Scarlett's legs facing her. She was sitting with her back against the wall with a pillow behind her.

For some unknown reason, her heart was beating too fast and she was scared. She had no idea why she was feeling this way. Her emotions were not supposed to get out of control. She needed to focus on pitching her idea to Jax. It had to be done just right.

"My father is going to find a physiotherapy place for me to go to. It will probably be an hour away. I figure that I will need four hours to account for the driving time and therapy time. It will probably be less than four hours, but that's the most time I think I will need. Therapy works better if I go more often for fewer weeks, but I'm pretty messed up. I think in six to eight weeks though, I'll be strong enough to drive myself. I want to pay you for driving me to therapy," Scarlett paused and studied Jax's face for a moment to learn whether or not her pitch was working, but Jax's face was impassive.

"You want eight hours of my time for six to eight weeks just to drive you to therapy appointments?"

"It's a little more involved. I need a different car to go with the Annie identity. It needs to be stored somewhere outside Charming, so Annie can't get traced back here. I'll change my appearance and do the car switch. After therapy, I'll switch back. I could hire a driver, but I would have to hide the fact that I'm using a different identity for medical treatment. It's safer for me to have you help me."

"How much were you thinking about paying me?"

"Five thousand."

Jax raised an eyebrow.

"Five thousand for forty-eight to sixty-four hours?"

"No," Scarlett shook her head. "That wouldn't be fair to you. You would have to get off work and that time would have to be blocked into your schedule. It may not always be convenient. I'll try to make it fit into your schedule as much as possible, but you would have to treat it like a real job. I was thinking five thousand each time you drive me."

"That's a lot of money."

"It's for keeping my therapy appointments secret too. It's no one's business whether I'm getting medical treatment or not. After what happened a few months ago, I just want to keep anything medical secret and in a different name. I don't think it's dangerous or anything. I just don't want anyone to know about the identity switch."

When Scarlett decided to ask Jax to drive her, she was unsure of how much money to offer him. She didn't want to offer too little and make him think she wasn't valuing his time and she was afraid to offer too much because she didn't want him to think she was trying to buy him.

"Make it seven thousand each time and you have a deal."

"Done," Scarlett said, heaving a sigh of relief. "I'll also give you an additional seven thousand for finding a car and a place to store it. I can pay you in cash or a business check so you don't have to launder the money or any combination of cash and checks."

"You understand money laundering?"

"Jax, I used to be an accountant," Scarlett said with a smile. "My father and I have been laundering money for the last four years. All the money we took from my ex, has to be laundered. That's why I need a business. It's also the real reason I'm scrapping the coffee shop business. I can run a lot more money through a home décor business."

"Damn, Scarlett, I think you just might be a bigger or better outlaw than me."

"Maybe."

"You are terrible at negotiations though. I can't believe you didn't make a counter offer."

"Money doesn't do me any good if I'm dead. I'd rather pay you what you want than save money. I got what I wanted. That's success to me."

"I plan on getting what I want too," Jax said in a husky whisper.

She knew he wasn't talking about money. Her back injury was saving her from doing something she might regret, but just might enjoy.

I never fall in love, she reminded herself.


	133. Chapter 133

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 133 Parting**

Jax was pretending to be asleep as the watched Scarlett through half-closed eyes. She tossed a pair of socks on the floor and then picked them up with the reacher he'd given her. There was a big smile on her face. She repeated it two more times, her smile getting bigger each time.

"Does this mean you like your present?"

Scarlett jumped, startled, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"It's in the top five best presents ever," she said.

He liked the childlike delight she got from his simple gift. There was something innocent and sweet about her, but the more he learned about her life, the more he suspected that she was the bigger, better outlaw. He was surprisingly OK with that. He was proud of her.

He was no fool. He didn't completely trust her and he wondered if her offer to pay him to drive her to therapy appointments was more involved than she told him. It was a lot of money for a little driving.

She surprised him when she agreed to his counter offer, but her explanation made sense. It was better to pay him what he wanted because her safety was worth it to her. If he didn't know about her and her father's emptying all the cash out of her psycho ex's secret room, he would have felt bad about how much she was paying him. Somehow in his mind, the fact that she'd taken a lot of money from her crazy ex made it OK.

When she told him that she needed a business to launder the money through, he was impressed. No one in SAMCRO knew how to launder money. They used some guy Bobby knew, but he had never been convinced that the guy knew what the hell he was doing or that it was a fair arrangement. He was going to get Scarlett to explain it to him.

Laundering money was serious business. The government looked at outlaw types and when they couldn't make a criminal case for anything, they went after them on tax evasion. It would be humiliating to get locked up for such a pussy crime.

"So what are you going to do today?" he asked her as he put on his cut.

"Come back here, take another round of pain medication and sleeping pills and sleep for a few more hours. I'll probably go and look at a couple of places for my décor business. There are three places in that downtown section that should work."

"You given any thought to where you are going to live?"

"I was hoping to find a place for my décor business with a place above it to live in, but stairs are so hard and painful, I don't know how good that option is for me."

"Are you staying here tonight?"

"Yeah, I've paid for a week."

"You ready?"

Scarlett switched from slippers to flip flops. It was difficult for her to bend over and put on shoes.

Jax didn't want to leave Scarlett and the haven that she had become. Being with her was a calmer, simpler life and he enjoyed spending time with her. He couldn't keep putting off the shit he needed to face from his mother to his dead almost ex-wife and baby Bela though. He had to rejoin the world.

He helped Scarlett into the driver's seat of her Corvette before climbing into the passenger's seat.

"Still dreading facing your mother?" Scarlett asked with a teasing smile.

"Damned right."

She giggled.

"If you change your mind about using an AK on your mom, I've got weapons in the trunk."

Jax guided her to his house. She had just pulled into the driveway when Gemma drove up.

"I was hoping for a few minutes before I had to deal with her."

"Glad it's you and not me."

He leaned over and kissed her lightly on the mouth.

"I'll call you tonight."

"Jax, I'm not a chore you have to do," she said coolly.

"Behave yourself today."

He climbed out of the car with his duffel bag. He tapped on the window and Scarlett lowered it.

"I think I'm going to miss you," he said giving her a last, too brief kiss on the lips.

Jax grinned at the look of outrage on her face. Point to me, Scarlett.


	134. Chapter 134

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 134 Anger**

Scarlett checked out Gemma as she backed out of the driveway. She could only see brown hair with some chunky blonde highlights. Gemma looked at her too as she got out of her car. There was just something in the look that Gemma gave her that made Scarlett suspect that Gemma already disliked her. She was glad that she was Jax's problem and not hers.

Her father was enough of a problem. He expected so much and she was tired of living a dual life where she tried to live a normal life and still be the cold, manipulative person he trained her to be. Deep down, she knew that she could never be as cold and heartless as he wanted. She didn't want to be that person either, but he was the only family she had.

She wasn't going to mention to him that she told Jax she needed a business to launder money through because she knew that he would tell her that this could be the way to take down the MC. Build trust with Jax, teach him about money laundering and soon the MC would want her to do their money laundering. That would give her access to the information to destroy them. There was no harm in positioning herself to destroy the MC. She wasn't going to do it, though.

It had been easy to talk about destroying the MC when she remembered watching Jax's stepfather choke the life out of her mother, but it was hard when she thought about how kind Jax treated her. Her thoughts kept going around and around, never going anywhere just in circles.

If Jax made her angry enough, that was another story. There was a side to her that she didn't like. Extreme anger brought out the worst in her, but it made her more the person her father wanted her to be. That side of her could destroy the MC and Jax without a second thought.


	135. Chapter 135

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 135 Gemma'd**

Jax had made himself a cup of coffee using the coffee maker in Scarlett's motel room. He needed another cup before facing Gemma. He unlocked the door and carried his duffel bag into the house with Gemma following close on his heels. He dumped his bag in the hall and went straight to the coffee maker.

"So that's the piece of pussy that made you forget your family," Gemma said harshly.

"I didn't forget," he said as he finished filling the coffee pot with water. "And she isn't a piece of pussy. Don't talk about her like that."

Jax and his SAMCRO brothers used many degrading words to describe women. Other women were never talked about like that. By telling Gemma not to talk about Scarlett in insulting terms, he was letting her know that she was special.

Gemma studied her son's face with a frown.

"You had a dead wife and her . . . baby to deal with," Gemma said. When she said the word "baby", she spit the word out like it tasted bad.

"It was going to take a few days to release the bodies because they had to do autopsies."

"That's already been done and because you weren't here, that crazy bitch Wilda decided they should be cremated. It's already been done and she told them to send you the bill. Guess what that crazy bitch did?"

Jax poured himself a cup of freshly brewed coffee and took a gulp. Wilda was always doing crazy things. She was the town's best source of free entertainment.

"Just tell me."

He'd only been away from Scarlett for a few minutes and he was already back in the thick of all the bad shit he'd escaped from for the last few days. He wished he'd stayed gone for a few more days.

"She tried to flush Wendy's ashes down the toilet at the crematorium. Skeeter told Tig he gave her decoy ashes. She actually _flushed_ them. She said Wendy wanted her ashes scattered over water."

Jax shook his head.

"I'm not surprised. Decoy ashes," Jax chuckled. "That's a good one. What about the baby's ashes?"

"Tig didn't mention anything about that."

"I'll give her a call and find out when she wants to hold the memorial service."

"After flushing the decoy ashes, she crashed her car into a fire hydrant. She's probably still in jail."

"Well, Hale will try to throw the book at her again. I'm sure she will wiggle out of it just like all the other times. The San Joa public defenders are surprisingly competent or the ADA's are idiots. With Wilda for a mother, Wendy never had a chance in life."

"It was that crank whore's choice to use drugs."

"Don't call her that. It wouldn't hurt you to have a little compassion. Wendy never had a mother because she was drunk all the time. When you're raised like that, you look for escapes."

Over the past few days, Jax's anger over Wendy's deceit cooled. She had wanted to trap him into getting back with her, but she was also trying to give her baby a father. She'd never known hers. Wendy wasn't evil just messed up.

He bore some responsibility for what happened to Wendy. She'd loved him and no matter how hard he tried, he just didn't have those same feelings for her. He shouldn't have married her. He was lonely and marrying Wendy had seemed like a good solution at the time.

The separation had increased Wendy's drug use. He could have done more to help her get clean than paying for rehab. He should have insisted she stay at his house. She was never going to stay clean living with her drunk mother.

He could see Wendy was emotionally fragile. As her husband, he had a greater responsibility to help her. All he could do now was learn from his mistakes and not make them in the future.

"Well, the sooner we're done with all this the better. You need to call Rosen and find out what you need to do to get your name off that baby's birth certificate."

"I'm going to leave my name on it."

Gemma's face flushed with anger.

"You are _not_ that baby's father. That . . . _baby_ is not a Teller. It should not have Teller for a last name."

"The baby isn't an it. Her name is Bela. We aren't royalty or some dynasty. It doesn't matter that the baby isn't a Teller by blood."

Jax thought about how close Scarlett's relationship was with her father. He didn't seem to love her any less because she wasn't his daughter by blood.

"You aren't making sense. There's no good reason for you to pretend to be the father of some bastard child."

Jax knew that his mother would never understand that he felt sorry for baby Bela and, by keeping his name on her birth certificate, it was his way of comforting the baby and showing her some love. It was the right thing to do and it made him feel good.

"I don't know what the hell is wrong with you. What are you ashamed that you aren't the father? You want to cover up for Wendy? Is that it?" Gemma's voice climbed in pitch becoming shrill.

Jax inhaled deeply and tried to remain calm. He remembered the callous way Gemma had discarded poor little Bela, tossing her into the rocking chair like she was a pillow. He would never forget the sight of that poor little baby being mistreated by his mother.

Despite his efforts to keep his temper, every time he remembered his mother's behavior at the hospital his anger at his mother grew. Her attitude was making it worse.

If she could just admit that she had behaved badly and apologize, they could move forward, but he knew that was unlikely to happen. Gemma prided herself on never changing which meant she lacked any ability to be see faults in herself and fix them.

"I'm ashamed. I'm ashamed of you for the way you acted at the hospital from tossing Bela into the rocking chair to fighting Tara. You disgraced yourself, our family and the MC," Jax blue eyes flashed with fury. "You said baby girls should be drowned at birth _in a room with a dead baby girl_. Why the hell can't you see that that was wrong?"

"You're making excuses. The real problem here is Tara. Tara caused all this because she should have told you that baby wasn't yours first."

"Tara could have handled things better, but that doesn't excuse your actions. I'm leaving my name on the baby's birth certificate. That's it. The subject is closed."

"Fine," Gemma said. "I don't understand how you could have gone away with some woman you barely know and then not call me."

"I didn't realize I had to call you every _fucking_ day."

"Well, don't expect me to apologize for worrying about my only son."

"The harder you try to hold onto me, the more you make me want to push you away."

"This blonde bitch has something to do with all this. What exactly is she to you? A few nights of fun or something more?"

"Definitely something more. She's going to be your new daughter-in-law."

Sometimes words were more effective than an AK. The color drained out of Gemma's face and her mouth hung open in astonishment. He would tell her later—much later—that he was joking. Probably.


	136. Chapter 136

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 136 Rat**

When Tara was with Jax, she learned the basic principle of the outlaw world—don't go to the law. Those that go to law enforcement were labeled rats and were killed, often by one of their very own brother MC members. Beefs are handled outlaw to outlaw. Brotherhood ends with a rat label.

The medical community has its own founding principle called a code of silence. No where is it stronger than among surgeons who get a big assist from hospital administrators.

Tara knew about the notorious case of a Dallas area neurosurgeon nicknamed Dr. Death by the press who had performed forty-seven spinal surgeries in two years. Forty-three of the patients had poor outcomes from permanent pain, to paralysis to death. Hospitals allowed him to resign instead of risking lawsuits from him if they fired him.

He was eventually stopped, his medical license permanently revoked and he was jailed by a determined prosecutor working with two surgeons, one who had performed one surgery with him and another who had been called in to repair a botched surgery.

Even when a lack of surgical competence is apparent, as it was in the Dallas case, it's almost impossible to do anything about it. Hospitals fear lawsuits by surgeons more than they fear lawsuits from patients for malpractice.

Tara wondered if she should spend time investigating Dr. Namid. Suppose her suspicions were true. What was she prepared to do? How would the hospital feel about their newest surgeon coming to them with concerns about the legendary Dr. Namid?

Dr. Namid easily brought in a couple of million dollars to St. Thomas annually. Margaret Murphy, chief hospital administrator, wouldn't be happy if she brought her information that could jeopardize hospital profits.

She had been so certain when he had the memory lapse during the hernia repair that she should look into his surgical performance. When he complimented her, she was convinced he was trying to smooth over things because he had something to hide. That made her determined to look into him, but now with the passing of a couple of days, she could see things more objectively.

She also had to face the reality of the medical world. It was difficult to do anything about an incompetent doctor. It was also a very long, slow process. It would be easier to just go along. Dr. Namid would retire soon.

No matter how hard it got for her at work, she just couldn't be part of a code of silence if that meant that infants died because they received substandard surgical care.

There was also something shady about the NICU. She'd looked at a chart for one of Dr. Namid's patients. The chart had the infant being treated with equipment that wasn't at the hospital. Was this an oversight or was it insurance fraud?

The medical community was not that different from the outlaw community. Ratting could carry a heavy price in medicine, but at least it didn't carry a death sentence.

Tara smiled wryly. There she was being optimistic again.


	137. Chapter 137

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 137 Therapy**

Scarlett had only been awake for a few minutes when her cell phone rang. Her heart beat a little faster, hoping it was Jax. She was only a little disappointed that it was her father.

"How are you doing today?"

"I'm a little worse. I'm just so stiff, but when I stand it feels like my spine's made of Jell-0 and it has to slide into place before I can move."

"I wish I had known that you were so bad. I could have helped you sooner. When were you planning to tell me?"

"I was handling it. I was going to look for a place to get therapy."

"I found you a place. I saw three. The last one I saw is perfect. There's no doctor's medical practice attached to it. The gym always has someone on staff there. You also see a real therapist at every appointment not an aide. They have some specialized equipment designed to isolate segments in the spine for exercise. I saw five people in the gym and another guy working with his therapist in the gym. All age rages except kids."

"That does sound ideal," Scarlett said. "Thanks a lot for finding the place. I was dreading that task."

For the first time, she felt optimistic about getting better. It would take a lot of work, but finding the right place to go took a big weight off her shoulders.

"I'll text you the name and address, so you can make your appointment. Take a picture of your therapy prescription and you won't have to go back to the doctor. We'll just write them ourselves unless you want to go a doctor. No one would ever suspect a fake therapy prescription."

"No. I've got enough medication to last me, so I don't need to see a doctor." Scarlett discovered that once she stepped outside the law, it opened up options she would not have thought of ordinarily including falsifying physiotherapy prescriptions.

"Did you find a driver?"

"I asked Jax. Since I have to switch identities, I thought it would be easier."

"Good move. It will keep him around you, not that you need to do anything to keep him around you. I think you've got him hooked."

"Remember what Violet told us? He's been with hundred of girls. I'm sure every one of them thought they were special enough to last more than one night."

"I bet he's never spent as much time with a girl without sleeping with her as he has with you. You are already different. I would suggest you not test his limits though by cutting his hair."

"I'm not a kid," Scarlett said a little sullenly. For a moment she felt sixteen and responded that way. "I wouldn't cut his hair."

"He might be the right man for you. He's strong and brave."

"You have raised me to be independent. I don't know why you think I need a man."

"I want you to be happy. It wouldn't be the worst thing if you and Jax got together."

"Did you forget our plan to destroy SOA?"

"We can figure something out so he doesn't go down with the MC or maybe, the two of you get together and you change the MC, so we don't have to destroy it. There is a way for you to have a future with him if that's what you want."

"Only weak people fall in love. I'm too smart to let that happen to me. I never fall in love."

"You can tell yourself that, but you can't always control your feelings."

"I was surprised when you told Jax you were still in love with my mother. I think you are the one who needs to find a woman."

"I've experienced love. You need to let yourself have that experience at least once in your life."

"How about you find someone first and then I'll do it? When we take care of Clay by getting him put in jail, it will leave Jax's mother Gemma available. I think she would be perfect for you," Scarlett said sweetly.

There was a long pause.

"She's a nightmare, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Scarlett laughed. "I think so. What did I say that tipped you off?"

"Your tone of voice was a little too sweet."

"When we were at the lake house, I had a dream. Jax discovered my real name. He walked over to me and put his gun against my head. I woke up before he pulled the trigger."

"I don't think that Jax would shoot you. I think he would give you a head start."

"Thanks, dad. You always know how to cheer me up."

Scarlett shook her head, but she was smiling. Her father had actually cheered her up.


	138. Chapter 138

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 138 Fake**

Tara felt like a fool when she dug into Dr. Namid's actual surgical record. She knew of his reputation and accepted it as fact. She discovered it was all an image with nothing behind it.

A media relations firm built his reputation. It produced slick videos and fawning magazine and internet articles that made it sound like he was the world's most gifted surgeon, but he had done nothing to advance neo-natal surgery.

There were no discoveries and he'd authored no articles in medical publications. A few surgical feats were mentioned, but they were procedures that any competent surgeon could have performed. Only a medical professional would know that and his publicity was designed for anxious and desperate parents. It was a brilliant use of media, but it didn't make him a brilliant surgeon. He had just been ahead of his time when it came to publicity and image.

Once she'd learned the truth about his reputation, she might have been willing to write off his surgical lapse as being a one time event. As for the infant receiving treatment that the hospital was not equipped to provide, maybe it was just a paperwork error.

Dr. Namid made it personal when she discovered she wasn't scheduled to assistant him with any surgeries in the next week. That meant he had specifically asked that she not be assigned to assist him. She would not be gotten rid of that easily. _What was Dr. Namid trying to hide from her?_ He had only strengthened her determination to find out.

Tara had been a teacher's favorite since elementary school. She was smart, polite and well-behaved. It came naturally to her. It wasn't until high school that she realized getting teachers to like her was a skill that she could use. This skill would come in useful with Dr. Namid.

She caught him just as he was about to begin his morning rounds. She'd played him perfectly and even told him he was her surgical hero and the reason she became a neo-natal surgeon. He sucked up every word of flattery she spoke and believed her.

She'd put her hand over her heart as she told him how disappointed she was that she wasn't scheduled to assist him with any surgeries. She added that she'd come to St. Thomas just to work with him.

By the time she finished kissing up to him, he'd agreed to let her assist him with three surgeries over the next two days. Tara had accomplished her first goal: get Dr. Namid to let her assist with his surgeries again.

Even if she didn't find anything wrong with Dr. Namid's surgical skills, she'd already won. She was going to be doing more surgeries and that was the reason she'd become a surgeon.

As for investigating the mystery of patients receiving treatments that the hospital didn't have the equipment to do, that might have less to do with Dr. Namid and more to do with hospital administrator Margaret Murphy.

That same code of silence that shielded incompetent doctors would also keep her safe from any adverse publicity if something went wrong with her investigations.


	139. Chapter 139

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 139 Tongue**

It was Clay's fault that Jax married Wendy. She was going to put a stop to that wedding, but Clay told her that Jax was an adult and it was time for him to make his own choices without her constant interference. She'd held her tongue and just watched the disaster that was Jax's marriage unfold.

That was the last time she was going to take Clay's parenting advice. He had no idea how to raise a child. He also didn't understand that she knew what was best for Jax and, adult or not, he still needed her guidance.

Jax was still not thinking right because he wanted to leave his name on that baby's birth certificate. She wasn't a Teller. She had no right to that name. Well, sooner or later, she would wear Jax down and get him to remove his name from that baby's birth certificate.

The only way Jax was going to marry that blonde whore Scarlett was over her dead body.


	140. Chapter 140

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 140 Kitties**

The great Jax Teller called her and wanted to come by to discuss Wendy's arrangements like she was a bunch of flowers. She thought she'd made _arrangements_ when she had her cremated.

She remembered flushing a toilet and then her car got its accelerator and brake pedals mixed up and it made her crash. Damned American cars. The gas and brake pedals were too much alike and were always getting mixed up. This wasn't her first accident that was caused by poorly designed cars.

She'd gotten out of jail without posting bond because she gave Judge Hatch a blow job in his chambers. That's how his court worked and it was also how she'd escaped any jail time for her various alleged crimes. As far as she was concerned, the blow job was her sentence and it was better than staying in jail because she couldn't post bond or pay bail.

There were two kinds of justice. If you had money, you got out of jail on bail or bond. If you were poor, you gave a blow job to the judge and you got out. She'd heard rumors around the court that Judge Hatch also accepted blow jobs from guys too, so at least he was trying to be fair.

When Wendy told her she was marrying Jax Teller, she figured Jax had screwed all the single girls in town over eighteen and a few of the married ones, so he decided he might as well get married.

She never thought that marriage would last. Sooner or later, he would find a new girl and dump Wendy. Wendy could never hope to keep a man like that faithful.

She and Wendy rarely agreed on anything, but they were in perfect agreement about Gemma Teller; she was a bitch. Gemma thought she was so high class because her father used to be a preacher. Now she thought she was some kind of biker queen. Well, now that Wendy was gone, she wouldn't have to see anymore of Gemma. The worst thing about Jax Teller was his mother.

It would have been a lot better for Wendy if she'd had an abortion. She never wanted to be a mother and she never felt any maternal love for her even when she was a baby. Her mother had been short on maternal love too, so maybe this was a family trait.

Wendy didn't have any great love for that baby. She was only having it because it would tie her to Jax for at least eighteen years. Wendy figured that in that time, she could make him fall in love with her.

Wilda would have warned her that her plan wasn't going to work, but Wendy was stubborn. She never listened to her. She had to make her own mistakes. Even if her plan succeeded, Jax would have eventually learned that he wasn't really the father and then there would have been hell to pay.

She went outside to call the nonexistent kittens she pretended were her pets. She considered getting real kitties, but that would involve actually having to take care of something other than herself. She just liked calling them because saying their names made her laugh. After everything that had happened, she needed to laugh.

"Dip shit," she called. "Dumbass. Here kitty, kitty, kitty."

She called her pretend kittens a couple more times, only quitting when it wasn't funny to her anymore. Just as she was about to go inside, Jax Teller rode up on his bike.

He got off his bike and hung his helmet from the handlebars. She had to give it to him, the man was sexy as hell. He just kind of oozed sex. It was no wonder Wendy fell in love with him. It had just been surprising that he had married her.

"Wilda, I want you to know how sorry I am about Wendy and the baby," Jax said.

"OK," she said. She didn't know what the hell else he expected her to say.

"Have you given any thought to a memorial service for Wendy and baby Bela?"

"No. I don't want anything to do with that. I'm not going to stand up in front of a bunch of people and talk about Wendy."

"You don't want to have any kind of service?"

"She's dead. It doesn't matter what you do, she's still going to be dead. I don't need some kind of ceremony about it."

"Gemma said you had her and Bela cremated. What do you want to do with the ashes?"

"I flushed the ashes. I don't know how the hell they came back," Wilda frowned trying to figure out how the ashes had come back. She must have been confused and flushed toilet paper thinking it was Wendy's ashes. "When people die, they die. Doesn't matter what you do with the body, they aren't inside anymore."

"Do you want Wendy's and Bela's ashes?"

"You take them and do whatever you want with them. Maybe if you had been a better husband, she wouldn't have turned to crank."

"OK," Jax said evenly, his jaw clenched in anger. "No memorial and no service for Wendy and the baby. I'll also figure out what to do with the ashes."

"And pay for it. You're the husband. It's your responsibility."

"OK," Jax said. He took off on his motorcycle.

Wilda went back to calling her kittens Dip Shit and Dumbass only this time there were tears in her eyes.


	141. Chapter 141

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 141 Closer**

Dr. Azra Namid looked worried. He was a short man with dark obviously dyed black hair and small dark eyes. To make up for his lack of height, he had a big personality.

His office was decorated to match the big personality. Instead of the tasteful, but muted colors of all the other offices, Dr. Namid's office was done in a bright mustard yellow. One wall was entirely covered with pictures of Dr. Namid and happy celebrity parents. It kind of implied that he had provided services to the infants of the famous parents. He hadn't. Most were Photo Shopped and at least fifteen years old. The few that were real had been taken at charity events when he practiced in Los Angeles.

Another wall was covered with framed letters from grateful parents, but most of these were also created by the public relations firm he hired the second he got his medical license. Some doctors believed that it was beneath them to promote themselves. He thought they were fools. He had wisely taken business courses in his undergraduate days. Marketing classes helped him learn how to sell himself. In the end, medicine was about money and image counted more than reality.

His medical career was on the downswing and he was no longer under the illusion he was going to contribute brilliant ideas to the field of neo-natal surgery. His strategy was simple: make as much money as possible before he ended his career.

Margaret Murphy or the Red Bitch as she was known to most of the medical staff was sitting across from him in his office. She was a short red-headed woman who at her best was unpleasant.

"Put Dr. Knowles back into the rotation. I already told her that she could assist in three surgeries."

"You really think that's wise?"

"She kissed my ass for five minutes, told me that I was the reason she was at St. Thomas because she wanted to work with me. She's qualified and after her personal appeal, I think it would look suspicious if I didn't work with her."

"Better make sure no one dies when she's assisting."

"That shouldn't be too hard unless there's an emergency surgery. Some of those you never know how they are going to go."

"Just three more months," Margaret said sighing. "I'm still not convinced that it's wise for Dr. Knowles to assist you."

"Haven't you heard the expression keep your friends close and your enemies closer? We need to assume Dr. Knowles is our enemy."


	142. Chapter 142

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 142 Juicy**

Gemma sent a text message to Juice telling him she had an ice cold Strawberry Fanta, his favorite beverage in the world, waiting for him. Juice was cheap and easy to buy once she overcame his initial reluctance.

Juice walked into the TM office and took the can of soda Gemma was holding out to him. The can was so cold water beaded on the outside, just the way he liked it.

"What do you want to know about Jax now?"

Gemma smiled. This was going to be easier than she thought.

"Just what Jax said about where he was for the past few days, who he was with and any other details."

"Everything," Juice said while opening his soda. "OK, I'll tell you, but this is it. Last time."

Gemma knew that Juice didn't really mean it was the last time. It meant that he wouldn't be bought for a can of soda again. The next time she wanted information from Juice, she would need to bring him either a pie or a nice Bundt cake.

"You know I would never let anyone know that you talk to me including Clay."

"Yeah, rats aren't treated well in the MC," Juice mumbled under his breath.

"Sit down and rest a minute," Gemma said.

Juice sat down on the sofa. Gemma knew the guys enjoyed taking a break with a cold drink in the cool office.

"All Jax said was that he and Scarlett stayed at her friend's cabin in Lake Arrowhead."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, that's it."

"He didn't say anything else about her?" Gemma couldn't believe Jax hadn't said anything else about Scarlett.

"Half-Sack made a comment about whether she'd taught him any new sex tricks and Jax shoved him into a wall in the garage and told him to shut up unless he speaks with respect about her," Juice drained his can of soda. Gemma reached into a little refrigerator behind her, grabbed another can of strawberry soda and held it out to Juice.

Juice took the can from Gemma and returned to his seat on the sofa.

"Did he say anything about how he feels about her?"

"Jax? He never says shit like that. He wouldn't have shoved Half-Sack into the wall if there wasn't something there though."

Juice finished his second can of strawberry soda. He tossed the cans in the aluminum can recycling trash.

"Thanks for the drinks."

"What's your favorite pie?"

"Cherry. I love cherry pie."

"I'll remember that."

Juice left and Gemma was frustrated. She'd hoped that Jax would have shared details of his time away from Charming with his MC brothers.

The fact that he hadn't said anything worried her. The less Jax said about a girl, the deeper his feelings. She'd just gotten Jax back from that crank whore Wendy, she wasn't about to let another woman take him at least not now when he wasn't thinking right.

He needed her guidance. She would never let him make another mistake like Wendy again. If she had to run Clay over to protect Jax, then she would run his ass over. She could get another old man, but she could never have another son.

Jax wasn't just her son. He was her legacy to the world. He would lead the MC growing it, making it even stronger and more powerful than it was today like a political party or a dynasty. Jax was going to make a difference in this world and she wasn't going to let any bleached blonde whore ruin his destiny.

She was a fierce mother. That was _her_ destiny.

 **Author's Note: I know that I write Gemma obsessing over Jax a lot, but each scene advances the story a bit. Once more, Gemma is using Juice and she knows how to use him in the future, Juice mumbles something about the MC and rats that foreshadows future events and Gemma believes that Jax has a bigger destiny.**

 **These Gemma scenes build on each other, deepen the plot and her character. Also, since I'm writing this as scenes, Gemma thinks a lot about Jax now because he's got a lot going on in his life with Wendy's death, little Bela not being his daughter and a woman arriving in town who might threaten her hold on Jax.**


	143. Chapter 143

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 143 Temper**

Jax's day had began badly with Gemma at her overbearing worst. His MC brothers had slapped him on the back, called him brother and offered support. This was just something he would have to work through. He just needed to focus on getting the arrangements made for Wendy and Bela.

He'd been surprised to learn that Wilda had gotten out of jail already. He knew that discussing Wendy and Bela would be hard, but it was something he had to do face to face. He couldn't be a pussy and talk to her on the phone. The meeting would be bad, just something that had to be done.

When he pulled up to Wilda's, she was outside staggering around the yard yelling out "Dip Shit" and "Dumbass". There went his hope that she might only be buzzed and not drunk. It was going to be downhill from there. At least it had been brief and outside. A very drunk Wilda once grabbed his balls when they were alone. He didn't tell Wendy. He just made sure he was never alone with her.

As he rode to visit Skeeter, he thought about his meeting with Wilda. In the MC world, if a man had talked to him the way Wilda had, he'd be picking himself up off the floor. He was angered by Wilda blaming him for Wendy's crank addiction. He could have pointed out having the town's drunkest mother also had something to do with it, but he resisted lashing out at Wilda.

He reminded himself that Wilda had lost all her family in Wendy and Bela. He needed to control his temper and let it go. Be the better person.

He wanted to ask Wilda if she knew he wasn't Bela's father. He decided satisfying his curiosity wouldn't change anything.

Wilda clearly wanted no part in any public mourning of her daughter or granddaughter and wanted no part in disposing of their ashes. It was up to him to figure out something.

If he had a memorial or funeral for Wendy, who would he even invite? He didn't know many of Wendy's friends and the few he knew encouraged her crank use. Maybe he would just do something on his own.

Skeeter had given him the two boxes of ashes. He told Jax about how he'd tricked Wilda with decoy ashes because he had a bad feeling that she would do something crazy because she was so drunk. He thanked Skeeter. It was nice to know that the remains of Wendy weren't in a cesspool or sewage treatment plant somewhere.

He returned to his house. It was so empty and still. He flipped on the TV to keep him company, took a shower and changed his clothes. It wasn't until recently that he understood why he hated being alone so much—it was his brother Thomas. He and Thomas had always been company for each other even sharing the same bed. His hatred of being alone stemmed from missing his brother.

He tried for about five seconds to resist calling Scarlett until he remembered that he told her he would call her. Just because he wanted to hear her voice and spend a couple of minutes with her didn't have any deeper meaning. It didn't.


	144. Chapter 144

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 144 Toss**

Jax had only been in Charming for one day and he was with that blonde whore again, staying with her in her new motel room for the second night. What the hell was that about? His house not good enough for the fancy blonde slut?

How could he still be with her? He should have gotten tired of her by now. He couldn't even spend one night apart from her. Was she that good in bed or was he still feeling guilty for hurting her during sex?

This wasn't right. Some out of town bitch coming to town and taking Jax for herself. It was like she pushed herself to the front of the Jax Teller sex line.

Sometimes she felt like things would never would work out for her and Jax. Sadness and despair filled her up. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry tears of hot self-pity. It wouldn't help her situation. It wouldn't even make her feel better.

There was only one way to make herself feel better. She found a quarter in her pocket. Heads, Louise dies and tails, Rosen dies. She flipped the coin high into the air. Death was coming to someone.


	145. Chapter 145

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 145 Balloons**

Jax's quick check up call on Scarlett turned into taking her for dinner to Miguel's, his favorite Mexican restaurant. There was a little awkwardness once they returned to her motel room.

"Look, Jax, I've had the feeling all night that you want to tell me something. If you want to tell me something, I'll keep your confidence. That's what we do for each other. We keep each other's secrets. If you want to stay tonight, you can, if you want to go to your clubhouse and spend the evening with a crow-eater, enjoy yourself. You just can't go have sex with a crow-eater and then return to sleep with me."

Sex with a crow-eater or an evening with Scarlett. It didn't seem to be much of a choice. He would rather spend the evening and night with Scarlett than have sex with a crow-eater. _What the hell was going on with him?_

"I'm going out to my bike to get my bag," he said.

Scarlett raised an eyebrow.

"You were really sure of yourself," she said.

"I usually keep a change of clothes in my bike's saddlebags. Sometimes when you're riding you get splashed with muddy water."

"Uh-huh."

Scarlett went into the bathroom and changed into leggings and a bright blue knee length T-shirt. She had also taken off her make-up. Jax had also changed into his sleeping attire—a T-shirt and light weight sweat pants.

Staying in that motel room with Scarlett felt more like home, the place he belonged, than did spending the night in his bedroom. There was just something about being with Scarlett that could even beat out the pleasures of sex—at least for that night. Spending time with her brought him enjoyment. He didn't want to think much beyond that.

Scarlett had shared so much of her past; it made him feel that he could confide in her. She was right; they kept each other's secrets. He told her about Gemma's insistence that he take his name off Bela's birth certificate, how Wilda flushed decoy ashes down the toilet and how he now had to decide what to do with Wendy and Bela's ashes.

Normally, he would expect Gemma to handle the arrangements for Wendy and Bela, but he realized that part of the reason Gemma was so controlling was because he gave her that control.

It was time to grow up and not rely on Gemma to handle things for him. As he and Scarlett talked, he figured out what he wanted to do. There wasn't going to be any kind of service for Wendy or Bela. That's what Wilda wanted and if he arranged for some kind of service the only people who would attend would be Wendy's crank friends.

There was a small bridge at one of Charming's city parks. He would spread the ashes there. Once he'd made the decision, he felt relief.

Scarlett told him that when she was little she thought a balloon could go to Heaven. When she was feeling sadder than usual about her mother's death, her father would get her a balloon. She would write a note, attach the note and let the balloon float up to the sky to her mother.

Slowly and shyly, Scarlett suggested sending some of Wendy's and Bela's ashes attached to balloons with wishes for them. The ashes would scatter all over and they would become part of the world.

Jax thought about that for awhile. It was something that would never have crossed his mind, but the longer he thought about it, the more he liked the idea. It would be a more fulfilling way to say good-bye to Wendy and Bela. He didn't need to include anyone because he was the only one left in Wendy's life who still cared about her.

The next morning, Jax and Scarlett worked together to get everything done. Within an hour, Jax was at the bridge in the park and he spread Wendy's ashes and some of Bela's. It wasn't a very satisfying experience.

He returned to the car for the balloons. Scarlett remained in the car so he could have a private moment. He grabbed the five bright pink balloons and returned to the bridge. There was a small sheer little bag that he had attached to each balloon's string with a mix of Wendy and Bela's ashes. Just before releasing the first balloon he cut holes in the bag so the ashes would fall from the bag.

On the first bag, Scarlett had written the word "happiness". He released the first balloon and watched it climb into the sky until it was lost from view. The second bag had "love" written on it, the third "peace", the fourth "freedom" and the last "forgiveness". As he released the balloons, the anger and bitterness he'd felt towards Wendy was gone. He wanted the best for her and Bela. It was a healing way to say good-bye. It felt right.

Jax returned to the car and climbed in.

"That was really good," Jax said. "I feel like I've made peace with Wendy."

"I'm glad that made you feel better."

Jax had one more stop to make before heading in to TM. He wanted to be alone for this part. He rode to the cemetery where JT was buried. Inside his cut, he had Bela's remaining ashes. He sprinkled them around his father's headstone.

"Look out for her, dad," Jax whispered. "She was almost your granddaughter. Poor little baby never had a chance at life," Jax said, his eyes filling with tears.


	146. Chapter 146

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 146 Replaced**

Jax was more than an hour late to work. Gemma wondered where the hell he was. He may be going through some upheavals, but that didn't excuse his behavior.

"Finally decided to show up to work," Gemma said as Jax walked into the TM office.

She watched Jax's jaw clench and his lips tighten.

"Clay knew I was going to be late," Jax said.

"I'm your mother; you could have let me know."

"Clay could have let you know."

"We really need to make some decisions about Wendy," Gemma said.

"I saw Wilda yesterday. She doesn't what any kind of service or memorial for Wendy. She also doesn't want Wendy and Bela's ashes either. I've taken care of everything. There's nothing for you to do."

"What do you mean there's nothing for me to do? What did you do?"

"Nothing. I'm not having any kind of service for Wendy or the baby. I scattered the ashes. It's done."

Gemma frowned. She was the one who should have handled making arrangements. Jax hadn't even bothered to talk to her about it. At the very least, he could have told her what he was going to do.

"There really should be some kind of service even a short one would be better than nothing. Well, I can throw something together maybe for Thursday."

Jax shook his head.

"It's done. No service. Wendy was my wife. It was my responsibility to handle her arrangements."

"I can't believe you couldn't have mentioned it to me before you did anything."

"Just let it go," Jax snapped.

"Fine," Gemma said curtly. "You still need to give Rosen a call about the birth certificate."

Jax's face reddened with anger.

"No, I don't. I've told you that I am not changing the birth certificate."

Gemma got up from behind the desk and walked up to Jax.

"You know you aren't the only one who is effected by that birth certificate. That baby was supposed to be my first grandchild. I don't want to have to live with everyone thinking that my first grandchild died."

"Then tell them the truth," Jax said.

"What truth? That Wendy lied to you and said you were the father when she knew you weren't? You want that spread all over town?"

"I don't give a fuck what gets spread all over town. You just do whatever feels good to you Gemma. I have work to do."

Jax left the office slamming the door behind him.

If Jax thought he was going to cut her out of his life, she had a surprise for him. She would never give him the chance to make another mistake like Wendy again. He wasn't in his right mind and she needed to look out for him.

These decisions that Jax made about Wendy and that baby didn't sound like Jax. That blonde whore must have her claws into him and be behind all this. Jax was in an emotionally vulnerable state and she was not about to let some blonde piece of pussy break his heart. She needed to look out for him.

That responsibility would never end as long as she had breath in her body.


	147. Chapter 147

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 146 Foiled**

Louise sat in the salon chair, her hair in foil packets that were supposed to give her hair beautiful golden highlights.

"I don't know why you want to spend so much money on getting highlights. I could have done them for you," Casey said.

Louise studied Casey's brown hair with gold and orange highlights and wisely made no comment on the job Casey had done giving herself highlights.

"I'm excited about going to Florida," Louise said. "I've never gone anywhere on vacation before. Maybe my dad's new wife is a good influence."

"When my parents got divorced, my dad divorced me too. Never saw him again," Casey said.

"I don't know how fathers can do that."

"My father's a drunk," Casey said bitterly. "Maybe that helps."

"My mom is taking me to the airport and my father is going to pick me up in Orlando. I just have to change planes once. I'm a little nervous about that. What if my plane is late and the other one has taken off?"

"You get the airline to figure something out for you. You're smart. You won't have any problems. Maybe you'll get a seat next to some hot guy and you'll fall madly in love with each other."

"That's why I need the expensive highlights," Louise said with a smile. She, along with probably every other single woman in the world, had the same fantasy of finding true love on a plane.

"A new guy came into the store yesterday. Tall, dark hair and gray eyes. Hot. Not Jax Teller hot, but definitely drool worthy."

"Must have been lost."

"That's what I thought," Casey said giggling. "He is staying in Charming. He has something to do with the hospital."

"A doctor?"

"I don't know. Steve came in before I could finish questioning him."

"Hopefully that won't be the last time he comes into the store."

"You know that while you are in Orlando doing all kinds of Disney things, you'll be missing the social event of the year."

"There's a social event of the year _in Charming_?"

"Fun Town. You are going to miss Fun Town."

"Fun Town. Yeah, that's a tragedy."

"See, you go to Orlando and experience Disney and you will get all snobby and be too good to go to Fun Town."

"How could I ever be too good to go to Fun Town—the social event of the year?"

"Promise you'll go to Fun Town with me next year," Casey demanded.

"I promise to go to Fun Town with you unless I'm on my honeymoon with the hot guy I'm going to meet on the plane or you're on your honeymoon with the mystery hospital guy."

"Deal," Casey said.

An hour later, Louise left the hair salon with beautiful blonde highlights.


	148. Chapter 148

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 148 Prepaid**

Tara felt like she was back in high school when she was insecure and a little crazy. She needed to talk to Jax, but she couldn't decide if she should call and ask him if she could come over or if she should just turn up on his doorstep.

It would be easier for him to say no to her if she called him. If she turned up on his doorstep, he would be more likely to invite her inside, but what if that blonde slut Scarlett was there? He could still invite her in, but that would be more humiliation than she could bear.

Caller ID and cell phones had ruined the old call his phone and see if he's home hang up calls, but there was a away around it. She could get a prepaid phone and use that to call Jax's home phone. He would never know it was her and it beat driving past his house looking for lights in his house.

As far as Scarlett, that was easy too. If Scarlett's car wasn't parked outside Jax's house, she wasn't inside.

Now that she had her plan to contact Jax figured out, she just had to wait until the right time. She would just have to guess on that.

When she and Jax first met, she used to get so nervous about talking to him that she felt like she was going to throw up. Her fear of throwing up in front of him only heightened her anxiety making her stomach even more upset. She had managed to keep her food down, but there was always a first time. That was just another problem she could solve. No eating for three house before talking to Jax. That should help with the vomiting situation.

The night he came into the hospital, she hadn't been Tara Knowles old high school girlfriend. She'd been Dr. Knowles, a medical professional. She'd hidden behind her medical training, but she felt like a fraud playing a part. She was afraid she'd be exposed as that same screwed up, mixed up and troubled girl from high school.

Talking to Jax had been fairly easy that night because it was all medical and she used her medical training to talk to Jax. When she went to talk to him this time, there would be no medical identity to hide behind.

She definitely needed to apologize for breaking the news about the baby's paternity the way she had. That was the reason she was going to Jax's house. Maybe she should just leave it at that and wait for a better time to dredge up the past. In other words, be a coward.

No, she had to find out where her relationship with Jax stood. She needed to know if there was any chance at all of them getting back together. It was better to find out now then waste years in Charming hoping to catch Jax between crow-eaters.

She picked up the prepaid phone, her hands shaking and her stomach tied in knots and called Jax's home phone.


	149. Chapter 149

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 149 Flight**

Louise was nervous about flying. To soothe her nerves, she watched a marathon of TV documentaries on why planes crash. She thought it would help her understand that crashes were rare and air travel was perfectly safe. It had the exact opposite effect.

It didn't help either that a pilot and his co-pilot were arrested a few days ago when they showed up drunk to fly their large commercial jet. An employee of Homeland Security smelled alcohol on the breath of the pilot possibly saving the lives of a plane load of people.

Drunk pilots, poorly maintained aircraft, defective instruments, there were just so many ways for things to go wrong resulting in a crash. Louise hoped that if the plane crashed, it would do it over land. Her biggest nightmare would be to be in a plane crash over water. She could imagine the impact, struggling to get out of a dark flooded plane and then realizing she wasn't going to get out alive.

Thanks to all the documentaries about plane crashes, she knew that most people killed in crashes died from blunt force trauma. That was a nice way to say the impact of the crash tore the bodies apart. She shouldn't have to worry about crashing over water and being trapped in the plane. She would be dead her body torn to pieces on impact. That thought also didn't cheer her up.

As the flight attendants went through safety procedures, Louise felt her anxiety rise. The more she looked at the number of the flight, the more she felt sure it was an unlucky number. She needed to get off the flight.

Casey had given her a couple of Xanax tablets she'd stolen from her mother. Louise normally didn't touch drugs, but she normally didn't fly on a plane. She swallowed the tablet dry. By the time the plane went tearing down the runway to take off, Louise didn't understand why she'd been so afraid to fly.


	150. Chapter 150

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 150 Shiv**

Prisons were dangerous places. Inmates got killed all the time. No one would even notice if Bucky Jeffers never made it out of prison alive. A couple of phone calls and a little money and Clay could eliminate the danger Bucky Jeffers posed to him.

He knew that Jeffers would head for Charming as soon as he got out. He thought they were brothers. Jeffers was less brother and more blackmailer and that was why he needed to die.

Clay called the number on the burner phone and put the hit in motion. In a couple of days, he should get the heartbreaking news that Jeffers had died in a prison fight.


	151. Chapter 151

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 151 Again**

Being a serial killer was a lot harder than she thought it would be. It took organization, patience and perseverance. Like tonight. Louise was supposed to meet death. She'd been planning it for what seemed like months. And yet, once again, her plans were shot to shit because Louise wasn't at work. What the fuck?

Serial killers were caught when they improvised and didn't follow the plan or when they got pulled over for some bullshit traffic law violation and got caught with a decomposing body in the trunk. She always stuck to her plan and she always got rid of the body right away.

Once more though she was faced with what to do about Louise. She'd flipped a coin and Louise was the one who needed to die next. God was telling her it wasn't Louise's time yet. Soon, but just not now.

She sighed. Being a serial killer was lonely. There was no one she could ask for advice or even relive the fun of the kill.

Maybe when she and Jax got together she would give up killing. Or maybe she would just kill on special occasions. No. She was lying to herself. She killed because she was special and God needed her help killing people. It was her Calling and her special gift.

Louise would die when the time was right.


	152. Chapter 152

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 152 Kiss**

Wednesday it was so slow at work, Tara had time to work on her plan to get Jax back. She believed that if she could just come up with the perfect words, she would unlock Jax's heart and he would be hers again.

There had been so much love between them; it couldn't all be gone now. As long as Jax felt a tiny spark of love for her, she had hope that this time they would get back together for good.

In high school she'd been a disaster. Jax saw that there was more to her than this shy, awkward, smart girl. Their lockers were next to each other, so of course, he flirted with her. That day, she felt giddy with happiness. Life was perfect because the hottest guy in school flirted with her.

The elation lasted a couple of days until she overheard him talking to a girl in the library and he was flirting with her just like he'd done with her a few days before. The bitter truth was he flirted with all girls regardless of looks. If a girl was near him, he automatically flirted. That was Jax Teller. He couldn't help himself.

One day, he asked her if she wanted a ride home on his motorcycle. She quickly accepted his invitation. On the walk to the parking lot, he'd reached down and took her hand in his. Silly to even remember something that trivial, but it was the first time a boy had held her hand. She still recalled how small her hand felt wrapped in his big paw of a hand. It was rough and calloused from working at TM and taking shop in high school and it was exactly how a man's hand should feel. Rough, tough and sexy.

He hadn't taken her straight home from school. He took her down a little dirt road about half a mile. There were trees and tall grass. He got off his bike and helped her off. Her heart was beating so fast it didn't feel like there was any pause between the beats. She was afraid of what he was going to do and more afraid of what he might not do.

She shut her eyes and the images came back to her like a movie. Gawky, shy girl and the tall, long-haired, blonde god of a guy. He'd always had so much self-confidence even back in high school. He smiled and her knees almost buckled.

"It's OK," he whispered. "You're in good hands."

He kissed her. It was the perfect first kiss, gentle, tender and soft. He lifted his head and when her eyes met his, she fell in love with him at that exact moment. That magical tingly feeling was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time.

Even though that had been her first kiss, Jax must not have minded her inexperience too much because he'd given her a ride home the next day with the same results.

A love that strong couldn't be thrown away so easily. When she reminded him of all they had shared, he would remember all the magical times they had together and realize that she was the only woman he would ever love.

Just as she was about to leave, she'd gotten pulled in to assist Dr. Namid with an emergency surgery on a newborn. Getting back with Jax would have to wait another day.

The delay was only temporary because she was going to get him back and they were going to get that happy ending they deserved.


	153. Chapter 153

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 153 Quarter**

She was in her bedroom looking out the window hoping Jax might be walking around the small lake, but there was no Jax.

The stress of life was wearing on her. The body still had not been found. Maybe that was a good thing. The longer a body was out in the elements the less chance that there would be any useful forensics. Not that there would be any useful forensics because she was careful. She was going to be the best serial killer in serial killing history.

She took a bite out of her Rocky Road candy bar. It was her favorite. She loved the thick marshmallow and chocolate covering it. She bought three because she needed the sugar and chocolate to settle her nerves because, after a little casual conversation with Casey at the convenience store, she found out that Louise was going to be gone for two weeks. Two weeks. _What the hell?_

Last night, it had been easy to be mellow and say she'd kill Louise when the time was right. Well, that was still the case. She would kill Louise when the time was right, but she wasn't going to make it two weeks without killing someone.

Time to kill Rosen. Killing him wouldn't be as satisfying as killing Louise because she couldn't do it up close and personal. She would need to use a gun and give him a shot or two to the head.

Suddenly it occurred to her that Rosen had a law partner, Ally Rosen. She was female. Maybe she should kill her and she could use her knife. She didn't like to use a knife on a man because they were stronger and harder to kill without getting injured.

OK. She pulled out the quarter she'd gotten in change from the convenience store. Heads Rosen and Tails Lowen. She flipped the coin high into the air and watched as it landed.


	154. Chapter 154

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 154 Knock**

After a couple of consultations, Tara had the day free. Instead of obsessing over Jax and what she was going to say to him, she played detective digging into the mystery of the hospital charging for services it wasn't equipped to provide.

It wasn't just Dr. Namid's patients that were billed for services that couldn't have been provided; it was almost all the patients including a couple of hers. She knew those patients' charts like the back of her hand. Someone was altering the charts to increase the billing amounts.

She wondered if the practice of billing for services that weren't being provided was limited to the Neo-natal unit of the hospital or if it extended throughout the entire hospital.

Finding out that it happened frequently in the Neo-natal unit only meant that the chart she'd seen wasn't a mistake. Someone was deliberating billing for non-existent services. Whoever was doing it had to be profiting from it in someway or he or she wouldn't be doing it.

Finding out who was responsible for the billings wouldn't be easy. It was going to take some thought to figure out how she was going to do it. She needed to follow the money, but she had no idea how to do that.

She needed to give it some thought before she followed through. No one would be happy except some insurance companies if she exposed the hospital's fraudulent billing practices.

What would happen if her discovery caused the hospital to close? She would actually become even more unpopular than she was already. Her lips twisted into a bitter smile. She kind of liked the idea if all the employees who watched her fight with Gemma lost their jobs, but there was a bigger picture to consider. If the hospital closed, it would hurt the community.

She drove home on her new route so she could go past Jax's house. It was a perfectly normal route and only a block or two longer than her previous route. Every time she turned down the street, her heart began to beat faster and her stomach knotted up.

His bike was there parked out in the driveway right in the middle. There wasn't room for Scarlett's car. Maybe that meant he wasn't expecting her, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to visit her.

She was so scared and nervous about seeing Jax that her hands shook as she tried to put the key into her front door. She'd take a shower and change her clothes and then she might go to Jax's. She still had the apology to deliver.

Never in her life had she felt such terror. Jax could crush her and destroy what was left of her heart. She loved him so much, she didn't know how she could go on knowing there was no chance of a future with him.

After a hot shower she pulled on jeans. She tried to put on a light blue blouse, but her hands were shaking too hard for her to button it. She switched to a red ruffled blouse that she could pull over her head.

She applied some blush because her skin was deathly pale. She added a little mascara and some red lip stain. It was the same that she used in high school.

Her stomach grumbled but she couldn't eat and risk throwing up on Jax. She'd done that once before. She smiled at the memory. They were drinking rum and coke when she vomited all over him. If she hadn't been so drunk, she would have been embarrassed.

Her hands had quit shaking, but now they felt numb. It was time to find out if she had make the biggest mistake of her life by moving to Charming. She couldn't throw up. Her stomach was empty. Short of losing control of her bladder, she should be able to get through a conversation with Jax without humiliating herself.

She climbed into her father's big old black Cutlass for the drive to Jax's. She drove past his house and continued on. Maybe the time wasn't right. Maybe she was too much of a coward to face him. Maybe she should just get the hell out of Charming and never have the relationship conversation with Jax. That last option was looking better and better.

She'd circled the block three times before she summoned up the courage to park her car on the street in front of Jax's house. Fear overwhelmed her, but she managed to get out of the car, lock it and walk to Jax's front door.

She knocked at the door and waited. She looked at her car and decided that she was going to make a run for it and leave the relationship conversation to a time when every pore in her body wasn't flooded with fear.

Too late. Jax opened the door.


	155. Chapter 155

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 155 Plans**

Scarlett accepted David Hale's invitation to watch L.A. Confidential with him tomorrow night. She wasn't enthusiastic about it, but she didn't let him know that. He was going to pick her up and then they would get Chinese food and eat it while watching the movie. It wasn't a date because she was over dating.

This was one of those things that she did and felt terrible about it, but she needed to be friendly with David Hale. He could be useful to her and she might have to play him against Jax in the future. She didn't like using people, but her father had taught her to justify her behavior because it was a question of survival.

She hadn't seen Jax in two days. Surprisingly, she wasn't happy about this. Normally, she loved alone time better than time with people. She actually missed him even in bed and she hated to share her bed.

It was kind of nice talking and laughing in bed while watching DVDs. She liked waking up and seeing him in bed with her. There was clearly something wrong with her because she missed him.

Missing him didn't even make sense. He had called her everyday and they were going to go to Fun Town together on Saturday. He said it was tradition. The carnival came to Charming every year.

The idea of seeing Jax on Saturday made her happier than it should. She reminded herself that she never falls in love, so her feelings for Jax were those of friendship and nothing more. She wasn't in love with him. It was never going to happen.


	156. Chapter 156

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 156 Addict**

Jax slept alone Tuesday and Wednesday nights and he planned to spend this night alone too. Sleeping with Scarlett was getting to be addictive. The last two nights had been tough. He missed her. Even without sex, he enjoyed spending the night with her.

He remembered back in high school when he was in love with Tara. He had that need to spend all his time with her and he could never get enough of her. Like an addict craving a fix. It had been crazy and intoxicating.

It was a lot like how he felt about Scarlett now. No, it was exactly like how he had once felt about Tara. He was falling in love with Scarlett.

He hadn't fallen in love with Tara until after they had sex. It didn't make sense to him that he could fall in love with Scarlett without having sex with her first. He must be wrong about the falling in love part.

Why wouldn't he fall in love with her? She was beautiful with the curvy kind of figure he preferred. Kissing her felt great. She was funny, smart and kind. She understood the outlaw world and how could a man not love a woman who stole a room full of money from her psycho ex? That was badass.

She also did something no woman had ever done for him; when she thought a team was coming to take her, she tried to protect him. She told him to leave her. She meant it. She wanted to save him. Women were usually looking at him to save or rescue them. Not Scarlett.

Damn. His lips had curved into a smile without him even realizing it. Being addicted to Scarlett or falling in love with her wouldn't be the worst thing he could do.

He just couldn't let it turn him into a pussy. If he started writing poetry, it was going to be time to put a bullet in his head. There was nothing worse than a pussy whipped man who wrote poetry.

He grabbed a beer out of the refrigerator and thought about calling Scarlett to see if she wanted to go for a walk when there was a knock at the door.

He looked out the peephole. It was Tara. He would have preferred to see a couple of Mayans with guns or knives.

He had a bad feeling that she was going to want to have a talk about their relationship. Eventually, he had to have that conversation with her, but later was always better than now when it came to relationship talks and never was his first choice.

He opened the door.

"Do you have a minute?" Tara asked with a nervous smile.

"Sure," he said. "Come on in."

He was just going to have to suck it up and have that conversation now.


	157. Chapter 157

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 157 Worse**

Margaret Murphy usually referred to as the Red Bitch by hospital staff frowned at the computer screen. She was looking at the computer activity under Tara's password.

She should have known that idiot Dr. Namid was wrong. It was going to take more than allowing Tara to assist him in surgery to stop whatever she was trying to do. Judging by the data on the computer screen, Margaret knew the situation with Tara had gotten much worse.

She hadn't been very concerned when Tara appeared to suspect that Dr. Namid's surgical skill was more image than substance. He was being overly paranoid because he knew he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's. He panicked and insisted Tara not assist him anymore.

Her instincts had been to make no changes because it would arouse Tara's suspicions, but he was so worried she was afraid he was going to fall apart if Tara continued to assist him. She'd been right. After a conversation with Tara, Dr. Namid was afraid if he didn't let her assist him, she would be even more suspicious. Once again, she'd acted against her better judgement and scheduled Tara to assist him. He would retire in less than three months and that part of the Tara problem would be over.

The bigger problem was what Tara had been doing this afternoon looking at patient charts. Margaret knew Tara was smart. It wouldn't have taken her long to discover the hospital was billing for services it didn't perform.

She was going to do what she should have done in the first place. She was going to make a call that would take care of Dr. Knowles in the best possible way.

 **Author's Note: The next chapter will begin the relationship conversation between Jax and Tara. It will cover a couple of chapters as POVs shift. I've said this before, but not everyone reads the notes, so I'm mentioning it again. This story is supposed to be like a TV show with short scenes that cover other characters.**

 **It will reveal why they really broke up and the reason isn't that Tara wanted or needed to go away for school. I think that's what most SOA fans think, but if they had loved each other as much as they claimed, they would have found a way to make her going to school work.**

 **My chapters have been shorter than usual this last month or so because I've been sick and while writing isn't physically grueling, it does take energy and effort. In a couple of weeks, I will be well enough to return to writing longer short chapters.**


	158. Chapter 158

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 158 Talk**

When she'd talked to Jax before at the hospital, it had been as Dr. Knowles. She couldn't hide behind her white coat now. She had to be herself and it terrified her. This could be the most important conversation of her life. No pressure there, she thought ruefully.

"How long have you had your house?" Tara asked.

"About a year and a half. I need to paint and fix it up, but it hasn't been a priority. You want something to drink? I have beer, water and orange juice."

"A beer would be good."

Jax grabbed a beer bottle from the refrigerator, removed the cap and handed it to her.

"Let's go into the living room," he said leading her into a large room with a stained beige couch, two arm chairs, a wall unit and a large flat screen TV. "It's done in Gemma's garage sale finds except the TV. That was me."

Tara chuckled nervously. She took a seat on the beige couch avoiding the big dark stain on the cushion in the middle of the sofa. Jax sat in a blue armchair.

She was disappointed that he didn't sit on the couch with her. That might be a bad sign. Better not read to much into small things or she'd make herself crazy or crazier, which might be more accurate. Take a breath and calm down, she told herself.

"I wanted to come by to apologize for breaking the news about Bela's paternity the way I did. Gemma was right. It would have been better if I had told you about the paternity first and then her death."

"It doesn't matter. Either way, I lost my kid."

Jax was calm and he wasn't angry with her. Tara took this to mean that the conversation was going well. She didn't know why she'd been so worried. She scooted back against the sofa cushion and took a sip of beer.

"Have you decided what you're going to do about the birth certificate?"

"I'm going to leave my name on it. It's the least I can do. I wasn't happy about the baby. I didn't want to have to change my life for a kid. I'd been telling Scarlett that Wendy was going to be a terrible mother. She told me I'd have to be a great father then."

When Jax said Scarlett's name, he got a look in his eyes that reminded Tara of the way he used to look at her. Could Jax already have fallen to love with Scarlett? No, if he had feelings for her, it couldn't compare with what they had when they were together. She was being her typical pessimistic self.

"Finally, it hit me that I might have to be the main parent in the kid's life," Jax continued. "I went to Wilda's to talk to Wendy. I really thought I'd found her in time. Just when I was ready to be a father, it was taken from me."

Ten years may have passed, but this was the Jax that Tara knew. The way he was opening up to her felt familiar, like no time had passed. The bond between them that had been so strong was still there. She had been right to come back to Charming.

"The crank was definitely laced with some kind of poison," Tara said. "Hale said they are still trying to figure out what kind. The dealer was also found dead by the same tainted crank. We would have been able to save Wendy and the baby if the crank hadn't been poisoned."

"I should have stopped the fight between you and Gemma. I was just in shock from everything that happened."

"I've always known that Gemma hates me."

"She's never liked you," Jax said correcting her. "She didn't hate you until you tried to get me to leave Charming with you."

"Did you ever wonder what would have happened if you had come with me when I left?"

Jax finished his beer, taking a moment to think through his answer to her question.

"Tara, you didn't leave Charming and then we broke up. We let people believe that because we didn't want everyone in this town in our business. We kept our relationship between us. We broke up and that's why you left Charming."

"If you had come with me, we could have worked things out. This town was destroying us."

Jax shook his head.

"You had this fantasy that if we left Charming, we would live happily ever after," Jax said with a trace if anger in his voice. "We would have been the same people, but in a different location. We might have made it a couple of more months if I'd left, but we would still have broken up. You know the truth—we had problems in our relationship. You do remember who cheated, don't you?"

The ice in his blue eyes chilled her to her bones. This conversation had taken the turn she was afraid it was going to take. She was hoping to avoid this subject. She should have known it was going to come up. She needed to find a way out of this. She could feel her future with Jax slipping away.

Think hard. Think fast. Think miracle. That's what it was going to take to talk her way out of this.

 _Author's Note: Cheating isn't the reason they split. Cheating was a result of relationship problems that will be revealed._


	159. Chapter 159

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 159 Shivved**

Scarlett jumped when her cell phone rang. Sometimes she went through periods of time when even the slightest noise would startle her. She looked at the caller ID and saw that it was her father.

"Hey, dad."

"Have you been behaving yourself?"

"You know my behavior is always on point."

"On point, huh?" her father asked chuckling. "How about Jax's behavior?"

"He's a perfect gentleman."

"You haven't cut his hair or anything like that?"

"No, I listened to you. I told you my behavior was on point."

"OK. Just checking. I have news. Guess what inmate got stomped on and shivved and is in the hospital in critical condition?"

"Jeffers."

"Very good."

"He's the only name I know of someone in jail."

"See, you always spoil a compliment. I posted an article to my true crime blog about Jeffers and how the SAMCLO (Sons of Anarchy Laredo) chapter was shut down because they were sex trafficking children."

"You think if there's enough public pressure, it might get Jeffers parole pulled?"

"I'm hoping, but I don't think there's much chance of that. Since he got attacked, some people will feel sorry for him. He also was the only member of SAMCLO that didn't get convicted of any sex trafficking charges."

"Well, I hope he dies from his injuries. Have you heard anything about Violet?" Scarlett's voice was choked with emotion.

She was still having trouble accepting the death of her step sister. She was handling it by pretending that Violet was just away on a long trip. Her big sister had been everything to her. She was alive because Violet saved her from her murderous bio-dad Clay.

"No, I'm afraid not," he said gently. "I did call the police department using my internet crime blog cover hoping that would help me find out something. I didn't get anything out of them."

"Do you think that's because they aren't saying anything or do you think that's because they don't know anything?"

There was a long pause.

"The truth," Scarlett demanded.

"I don't know."

"I'm seeing David Hale. He's the acting police chief. I mentioned him before."

"I remember."

"Maybe he knows something or he might have an idea on how to get information out of another police department."

"Get to know him a little first," her father advised.

"OK. It's just so hard. It feels like her killer is going to get away with it."

"It's not TV. They don't solve cases in an hour and it can take months for the results of DNA testing. Be patient. It's still early."

"You're right. It's just so hard."

"I know it is."

"I think Jax and I might go to the lake house on Saturday evening and we'll come back Monday. I've got my first therapy appointment then."

"Let me know how it goes. Behave with Jax and leave his hair alone."

"You can be such a nag."

"Bye. I love you."

"I love you too, dad."

Scarlett was grateful to have her father in her life. He never made her feel like he loved her less because she wasn't his biological child. If anything, he made her feel more loved. He chose to be her dad.

When she and Jax went to Fun Town on Saturday, she was going to finally meet her bio-dad Clay. There was no statue of limitations on murder. If Clay recognized her, she knew he would try to kill her.

She knew it wasn't rational to think that he would recognize her, but fear isn't always rational. Sometimes irrational fear turned out to be justified though.

 **Author's Note: Next up Round 2 in the Jax/Tara relationship conversation.**


	160. Chapter 160

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 160 Replay**

After Tara apologized for the way she broke the news of Bela's death before revealing he wasn't the father, Jax hoped that would end the relationship conversation, but if this version of Tara were anything like the teenage Tara, they were just getting started.

"I made mistakes," Tara said softly. "You forgave me."

"There's a difference between mistakes and what you did. You cheated on me and made sure I caught you. You did it to hurt me," Jax kept his voice level and his anger in check.

He was working on being less hot tempered and impulsive. When he led SAMCRO, he needed to make calm, rational decisions. He saw how Clay let his temper get the best of him and how that could have disastrous consequences for the club.

"We would have been happy again," Tara insisted, "if you had just come with me."

Tara was testing his resolve to remain calm. His grip on his temper was starting to slip. This was the same Tara from ten years ago. Nothing much had changed including her inability to face the truth. Their relationship failed because they had problems they couldn't fix.

"When we met, you knew almost from the beginning that I was going to join SAMCRO and one day I would be its president. If I left Charming, how was I supposed to do that?"

Tara shifted uneasily on the couch and drank some beer.

"You could have joined another charter for a few years," she said after a long pause.

"And why would I do that?"

"To save us."

Unfuckingbelievable. This version of Tara was as delusional as the teen version. After everything they had said over a decade ago, she still didn't get why their relationship failed. How could someone who was supposed to be smart not get it? Maybe women were just blind to certain truths.

"We were over," Jax said. "If I left Charming, I would still have had to deal with your crazy jealousy and all the other problems we had."

"You were always flirting with other girls."

"I've been flirting with girls since I was in an infant carrier. Gemma told me I'd look at women and smile at them even then. It's who I am. I _never_ cheated on you. I never even kissed another girl when we were together."

"I only cheated because I thought you were going to cheat. I kept telling you how your flirting with other girls made me feel. The only way for you to know how I felt was for me to cheat."

The anger and heartache came back vividly. He felt like he was nineteen again having this argument with Tara. This was what he didn't want to happen. There was no point in reliving their relationship problems. It had been useless then and it was even more useless now. They had no relationship to try to save.

"Does that still make sense to you?" Jax asked raising his voice.

"No, not really," she said with a sigh. "I was a little crazy when I was a teenager. OK. Sometimes, I was a lot crazy."

"Tara, there is no point in replaying this. We were young and it was our first relationship. Neither of us was perfect. Our relationship was far from perfect. You were crazy. I was selfish and not as considerate as I should have been. Analyzing the past doesn't change it. I've learned all the lessons possible from that time in my life. I've moved ahead with my life. You've moved ahead with your life. I'm just surprised you returned to Charming."

"I realized that I wanted to live in a small town again. I miss that sense of community that I had here."

"Uh-huh," Jax said, not bothering to hide the disbelief in his voice. Scarlett had called it. Tara was back for him. She used to always say how much she hated the small town mindset.

"I know. I was surprised too. I'm not the bratty teenager who hated Charming anymore. Part of that hatred was because I thought if I could get you to leave with me, we could fix us."

This also felt familiar; this endless loop of conversation. It never went anywhere. Nothing was ever fixed. Problems were never solved. Ten years and it was just more of the same old shit. He was back in relationship hell, each of them saying the same things to each other over and over again.

"I can't believe that after all these years, you still are holding on to this fantasy that all we needed to do to be happy was get out of Charming. I've told you that we would still have been the same people—just in a different place. You were so damned insecure about everything; it drove _me_ crazy."

"You were always flirting with other girls."

"That was part of your craziness. You were always accusing me of things I hadn't done. You thought if we moved away, you would have me all to yourself. You couldn't get it into your brain that you already had me to yourself."

"I had to leave to go to school."

"That's why everyone thinks we broke up, but we know the truth. You could have gone to school and we could have stayed together. We could have seen each other on weekends and talked on the phone. You didn't want to do that because you didn't trust me to be faithful _despite the fact I never cheated on you_ ," Jax raised his voice in frustration.

He didn't know how to help her feel more secure back then or now for that matter. If he looked at a cashier when he was paying for gas, she would question him about it. After awhile, her constant jealousy began to erode his love for her. And then she cheated.

Her father was gone on a trip to Seattle with his girlfriend of the moment. He was supposed to come to her house that night at nine. She'd left the front door unlocked for him. It seemed odd at the time.

John a teaching assistant from her community college chemistry class was halfway dressed when Jax found them. Tara was naked, clutching the sheet to her breasts. The fight had been too brief. He got in less than a half dozen punches before John grabbed his shirt and ran out the front door, slamming the door behind him.

He did forgive her for cheating, but he couldn't forgive her for the cold way she plotted everything so he'd find her. His trust in her was gone.

"I see now that my plan to show you how I felt by cheating was stupid. I don't know why I didn't see it then. Teen girl craziness, I guess. I am really sorry for the way I treated you."

"None of this matters now. It's ancient history."

"I know. If I hadn't cheated, do you think we would still be together?"

At the best of times, they had a strong, close bond. For the last few months of their relationship, they were out of sync. It just felt like they didn't fit together anymore and he didn't know how to fix it or if it were even possible to fix it.

"It was a high school romance that had run its course. We were at different places in life at the end. I wanted to go out with the guys. You wanted to study and you wanted me to be with you while you did it."

There was a time when he wanted to spend every minute of every day and night with Tara. At the end, spending time with her felt more like punishment.

"I was selfish too. I really wish things would have ended differently."

This conversation was never going to end. It felt like it had been going on for half his lifetime.

"We could have been kinder to each other," Jax said.

Tara finished her beer and tugged nervously at her hair. Jax recognized the hair tugging. It used to mean she was going to say something he didn't want to hear.

"I'm in Charming now," Tara said slowly. "We're kind of in the same place in life." Tara took a deep breath of air and looked at Jax. "Do you think there's a chance for us?"

She was holding her breath waiting for his answer.

 _Author's Note: There is one last round of this relationship conversation and Jax will tell Tara why he really broke up with her._


	161. Chapter 161

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 161 Bang**

Nothing felt as good as killing. Sex, a roller coaster ride or drugs, nothing compared to the feel of taking someone's life. Even Christmas couldn't compare to killing except that one time when Santa brought her a puppy and a bike.

She was especially proud of this killing. It was staged perfectly and she was going to solve the problem of the undiscovered body of the woman she'd killed that hadn't been found.

It would look like Rosen, overcome with guilt over killing the woman, shot himself in the head sitting inside his car near where the body of the woman got dumped. The cops would still have to look a bit to find the woman, but she couldn't do their entire jobs for them—the lazy bastards.

She used an old stolen gun, removing the bullets and wiping them and the gun down so there were no prints. Too many people got tripped up because they forgot that detail. She perfectly positioned the gun, carefully applying fingerprints to the gun then letting the gun fall to the seat naturally. Typically a person drops the gun after firing the shot. TV had filled in that little bit of information.

She shut her eyes and remembered every little detail of how it felt to kill Rosen. His car window was down. She walked up to him shoved the gun against the side of his head and shot. It was so fast, Rosen didn't have time to react.

This time, there had been an added level of pleasure that she had never experienced. As she held the gun and jammed it against Rosen's head, a voice inside her head began to chant "kill, kill, kill" over and over again. The voice got louder and the chanting faster. She pulled the trigger when the chanting reached its peak. She felt this wave of pleasure from the tips of her toes to her head. She moaned. Yeah, that was definitely better than sex.

She shut her eyes and relived the killing. This time, the voice in her head didn't chant, she did it aloud chanting "kill, kill, kill" over and over again. Her chanting got louder and faster it drove her into a sexual frenzy that climaxed when she remembered how it felt when she pulled the trigger. It had been just so pleasurable. She could hardly wait until she could do it again.

For now, she would have to be satisfied with the memory.

 _ **Author's Note: The next chapter is the last round in the Jax/Tara relationship conversation.**_


	162. Chapter 162

8

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 162 Crazed**

She didn't know how the words came out of her mouth. How could she have asked Jax if he thought there was a chance for them when he had given her no hint that he had feelings for her? Was she a complete idiot or just a loser?

Nothing had changed despite ten years passing. She was still the girl who didn't deserve Jax Teller. She had never been pretty enough or hot enough. She could never tell him the truth—that she was so jealous because he could do much better than her.

From the moment they got together, she expected him to dump her for someone more at his level of attractiveness. She was afraid if she told him of her insecurity, he would realize he _could_ do better and leave her.

She never should have come over to talk to Jax. She should have known she would screw it up. She'd been a disaster back in high school and now that she was back in Charming, the person she thought she'd become was gone, stripping her back to high school Tara.

"Tara, we haven't seen each other in ten years," Jax said slowly. "You're a stranger to me."

"You don't feel like a stranger to me," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

"You've always been a stranger to me."

"What the hell does that mean?" she demanded, getting a little of her spirit back. This was better. Anger was always better than despair.

"We were together for more than three years and I never felt like I knew you."

Instead of misery and heartbreak, white hot anger flowed through her veins. After all this time, Jax had suddenly come up with a new reason for dumping her.

"Thanks, Jax. Really. Thanks for telling me this ten fucking years later. _Really_ helpful," Tara laid the sarcasm on thick so he would get her point.

Suddenly, she felt free. She could say anything to Jax that she wanted because it didn't matter. Ten years ago, each time she talked with Jax, she hoped they could get back together. She'd held her tongue and kept calm. Now, she had little hope that they would get back together, but she could at least get some satisfaction by sharing some truths with him.

"What the hell did you expect me to do? If I had told you the truth about how I felt, you would have really lost your mind."

Tara's brown eyes flashed with rage and she jumped to her feet.

"Don't you give me that shit about losing my mind. That's just an excuse for you to use for not being honest with me. Why don't you treat me to some more of your truth? Come on. I want to hear it," Tara said. Her face was flushed with anger.

"Do you really want to hear it?" Jax asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.

"Yeah, share it with me," Tara shouted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"You were always talking about how we shared this bond," Jax said, getting to his feet and walking over to Tara. "That was true, but at the end, those last four or five months, I wondered how much of us was a bond and how much was just you repeating back what I said."

"What the hell does that even mean?"

"I never knew who the hell you were. You were like one of those damned chameleons, always changing. If I told you red was my favorite color, red would be your favorite color. If blue was my favorite color, then it would be yours. Whatever I thought, you thought. That's not a bond. It's imitation."

That hurt a lot because Jax was right. Son of a bitch. He'd nailed her. She did used to say his favorites were her favorites too. She thought it would make him like her more or bring them closer. She'd been a sixteen year old. It made sense to her at the time. Now, not as much.

"And you couldn't tell me about this when we were together?"

"You were always so damned insecure, I was afraid to say anything negative to you."

"Oh no, you don't. You aren't going to get out of this by blaming me."

"I'm not blaming you," Jax said, raising his voice in frustration. "I'm trying to explain how after three years, I didn't know who you were."

"Let me apologize for not having a definitive favorite color when I was sixteen," Tara said raising her voice to match his. "Poor Jax! It must have been sheer hell for you."

"That's exactly why I never mentioned this to you. You are missing my point."

"What the hell point are you trying to make?"

"I don't know who you are!" Jax shouted. "You always changed yourself into whatever it was that you thought I wanted. The only thing I ever knew about you was you wanted to be a surgeon. That's it."

"Maybe you didn't know much about me because you never were interested enough to ask me questions," she said yelling back. "You were too busy talking about you."

"That's bullshit, Tara, and you know it."

"If that's what you're telling me to think, I guess that's what I'll think. According to you, I'm some kind of robot."

"I never said that."

"I guess it's a miracle that I managed to live without you telling me what to do."

"You needed to grow up and find out who you were. You would never have done it if we stayed together."

"I can't fucking believe this," Tara said furiously. "Now, you're telling me that you broke up with me for my own good. Jax Teller. Saint," she said, spitting out the last word.

"And now you see why I didn't tell you any of this stuff ten years ago. You still don't get it."

"Oh, no. I get it. You broke up with me because I was jealous, insecure and I needed to grow up without you to become the person I needed to be so I would figure out what my favorite color is," she said yelling the last part of the sentence.

"OK, let me be a little clearer," Jax said his voice tight with anger. "You were always so damned scared you would lose me, you smothered me and killed our relationship."

"Once more we get back to how this is all my fault and not yours."

"Tara, I tried. I tried damned hard. I didn't know how to make you feel more secure about yourself and about us."

"How about not flirting with other girls?" she suggested sarcastically. "That would have helped."

"You make it sound like I was looking for girls to flirt with. I wasn't. Girls talked to me and, being polite, I talked to them. I don't know how many times I've tried to explain that to you."

"You forgot to remind me that I was the one that cheated, not you."

"Consider yourself reminded," Jax said shouted back.

"You made me feel worthless every single day. You made me feel ugly like no one would want me. You were never jealous."

"So, it's my fault that you cheated?" Jax shook his head. "No. I think that you deliberately sabotaged our relationship by cheating so I would break up with you. You wanted me to do it because you were too much of a coward."

That was another verbal jab that hit. She had wondered the same thing herself. She hadn't consciously sabotaged their relationship, but she had set up everything so Jax would find her cheating.

She had been so desperate to hold onto him. She thought if he were jealous enough, he would hold onto her tighter. Instead, he had let her go. It hadn't happened immediately. It unfolded over a couple of hell filled weeks like a plane crash in slow motion. She knew it was going to happen, but she couldn't figure out how to prevent it.

"I would never have broken up with you," Tara said. "I cheated because for the first time in a long time, I felt attractive."

"OK. Now, you're back to blaming me for your cheating. I complimented you. I did my best to fix you."

"I'm sorry I was so fucking defective."

"I don't remember ever hearing you swear."

"That's part of my discovering who I am," she snapped. "If I were so defective, I don't know how you stood me for as long as you did."

"I loved you," Jax said with surprising calmness. "I wanted to be with you."

"Until you didn't," Tara said bitterly.

She should have known that his feelings would have changed after ten years. Her feelings hadn't, but she couldn't expect his feelings to have stayed the same.

"I still loved you even when we broke up. Our relationship had problems we didn't seem to be able to fix. I thought it was better to end it before we hated each other."

"We aren't teenagers anymore. We're adults. We had such a strong, powerful epic love. That kind of love doesn't die. It sort of hibernates. I think there's a way for us to try again."

She was convinced this approach to get Jax back would work. It was logical. They used to love each other. There was nothing wrong with suggesting they see if there was something of that spark still left.

"We had a high school romance. We were each other's first loves. I got over you. I don't love you anymore," Jax said, his voice gentle. "You may think you love me, but that's history. It's not the present. I've changed a lot since we were together. You don't know me."

How much begging was she willing to do before giving up, she wondered. To put it another way, how much humiliation was she willing to put herself through before giving up? She had a feeling in her gut that if she could just figure out the right words, they would unlock Jax's heart.

"I get that. I think we should get to know each other just to see if there's anything there."

She looked at him anxiously, trying to read his expression. She couldn't tell what he was feeling. That couldn't be a good sign. If that bond she'd believed so hard in still existed, she should know how he was feeling.

"Tara," Jax said with great tenderness, "I don't want to return to the past."

"I don't want that either. I'm talking about a future."

"You're a stranger to me and I'm a stranger to you. We don't have a future."

Despite the angry words they had hurled at each other, she still loved him. She still wanted to be with him. Some of what he'd said about her was true. It wasn't easy to admit it, but she didn't know who she was at sixteen or even at nineteen. The only thing she knew for sure back then was she wanted to hold onto Jax.

Now, she was desperate to get back into his life. If she could do that, she was sure that he would fall in love with her again. He would feel that bond that they had and realize his love for her was still deep inside him. He was wrong. They had a future together.

"For everything that we meant to each other, for all the good times we had, we owe it to each other to see if there is still something there. You don't know who I am."

"Tara, we're over. Maybe one day, we could be friends."

Tara sucked in her breath. That was it then. When a guy used the friends line, it was well and truly over. She had been so sure that she could find a spark of love inside Jax. She had taken a huge gamble that Jax still had some love for her and she had lost. She needed to get away from him as soon as possible or she was going to embarrass herself by crying.

She walked to the door, but her vision was blurred by tears. Jax followed her from the living room down the hall and to the door.

"Tara, I'm sorry you're hurt."

Just when she didn't think he could hurt her anymore, he found a new way. Sympathy. He felt sorry for her. She was a pathetic loser. She reached up to brush the tears out of her eyes.

Jax wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair murmuring words of comfort. She always found peace in his arms. It felt even better than all the times she'd imagined it. Gone was the lanky teenaged body. His body was harder now, well-muscled and so damned sexy.

She looked up into his eyes, stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the lips. He pulled her tighter and kissed her back. Nothing they said mattered anymore. It was about their physical connection now.

"One night together and then we'll know," Tara whispered.

Can Jax Teller turn down sex? Tara was betting the answer was no.


	163. Chapter 163

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 163 Discount**

Clay hated cell phones because you couldn't slam them down when the call was over. That was the good thing about the old fashioned corded landline phones. You could smash the phone down. Instead, he kicked a kitchen chair across the room, hitting the wall and knocking some blue and white plate Gemma had hanging from the wall.

"Son of a bitch," he shouted.

Gemma rushed into the room. She automatically went into the laundry room, grabbed the broom and dust pan and began sweeping up the broken plate.

"Everything OK?" Gemma asked.

"No. If you want anything done right, you have to do it yourself," Clay grumbled.

He should have known better than to try to save a couple of bucks on Bucky's hit. If he'd hired the Cartier Crew, Bucky would be dead now instead of just in ICU. Those guys really knew how to shiv a guy, but he thought he would save a couple of bucks and get a discount hit. This was what happened. That bastard Bucky would probably live and come to Charming to screw his life up.

He wondered if there was a way to get to Bucky in the hospital. There ought to be someone in the hospital willing to kill, but he had no idea how to find him. For now, all he could do was hope that Bucky would die.

Die, Bucky, Die!


	164. Chapter 164

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 164 Tired**

Word of Rosen's death began to trickle in slowly until finally his law partner Allie Lowen posted a note on the firm's website saying that Rosen had been found dead in his car by a couple of boys riding their bikes along a country road. She added the matter was under investigation by the San Joaquin sheriff's department, but it wasn't considered suspicious.

No word of the woman that was dead in a ditch covered in a bit of dead grass and roadside debris less than ten feet away. Did that mean they hadn't found her? Could they really be that lazy and incompetent?

Short of putting a sign on a stake right next to the body, she'd done her best to guide the cops to the body. She couldn't do everyone's job.

She tried to focus on the good news—they appeared to be buying the way she staged it—Rosen died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. That's what Lowen must have meant by it wasn't considered suspicious. That's what it usually meant. Lowen was an attorney, so who knows, maybe it had some fancy meaning that was code to attorneys.

She was thinking too much about killing people. She needed to calm down because she made a promise to herself that she wouldn't kill anyone else until Louise returned to town.

No more thinking about killing. She would think about her favorite subject—Jax. He was looking a little tired today. Still hot, of course. Just tired.


	165. Chapter 165

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 165 Straw**

Tara's memory was too good. She recalled every single minute and everything Jax said to her after she suggested spending one night together. He turned her down. Jax Teller had turned down sex!

She hadn't thought that was even possible. He had been with hundreds and hundreds of girls and he'd turned _her_ down. That hadn't been humiliating enough. He pitied her. She could read it in his eyes.

If humiliation were cancer, every cell in her body would be flooded with the stuff. At least then she would die. Now, she just wanted to die of humiliation and heartbreak.

As soon as she got home she raided her father's extensive liquor collection. Having an alcoholic father had its benefits. Judging by the amount of booze he had on hand, he must have restocked before he died from the heart attack. She had the next three days off and she wasn't on call, so there was no reason she couldn't give in and have a drink or five.

She put four ice cubes, a cup of milk and a big splash of Kahlua in the blender before grinding the mixture into slushy alcohol goodness. She poured the blender's contents into a large iced tea glass and took the glass to her bedroom. She returned to the kitchen realizing she'd forgotten a straw.

She opened a cupboard and found it stuffed with hundreds of wrapped straws from every fast food place in Charming. Her father was a bit of a hoarder and he'd begun to worry about some potential ban on plastic straws. It was sad he'd died before he got to use his stash of straws. She grabbed one of the longest straws and returned to her bedroom.

She sucked down almost a quarter of her drink before she took off her clothes and put on her pajamas. She turned on the television in her bedroom, not to watch it, but to have the sound break up her thoughts. Her mind was locked in a loop remembering just how disastrously her suggestion of sex with Jax had gone.

If she'd had the slightest doubt Jax would turn her sex suggestion down, she would never have made it. He reacted like she'd thrown cold water on him. He had stepped away from her, dropping his arms from around her.

He explained very kindly like you would talk to a child that when he saw her crying, he wanted to comfort her. He claimed it was purely a reflex. The same when she kissed him and he kissed her back. That was also a reflex. He told her again that he wasn't in love with her.

She drank another quarter of her Kahlua slushy as she remembered that he told her that sleeping together was a bad idea because for him she would be just another girl in a long list. It would be purely for sex. He told her she deserved to be with a guy who treated her like she was special and loved her back.

She should have given up then. Maybe, she would have had a little of her self-respect intact. Instead, she told him she didn't care if he just wanted to use her for sex. She was OK with it. And he had still turned her down.

Could his refusal have something to do with Scarlett? Was he just being faithful to Scarlett? Could he have fallen in love with her so quickly? That seemed unlikely, but she had also thought it impossible that he would turn down sex.

She quickly downed the rest of her drink, got the bottle of Kahlua again and drank a couple of shots worth straight from the bottle before topping that off with a sleeping pill. She needed to shut her mind off and this was the easiest way to do it.

There would be more than enough time to relive her humiliation when she woke up. Maybe things would look different then—better.

Probably not.

 **What's Ahead**

I want to share a little about some upcoming chapters and all the fun reading I'm planning for you to enjoy.

The next arc of this story will feature Fun Town. This is a spoiler. There will be no child rape. I know I shouldn't reveal this to build tension and drama, but I don't want to write about child rape. To do it properly, it would cause the story to move down a dark and tragic path I don't want this story to take.

The mystery is how it gets stopped and how that plays out in upcoming chapters.

 **Into the Future**

As Jax and Scarlett draw closer, she makes a jaw dropping confession to him. Jax ponders a big relationship decision.

Before Tara figures out what she's going to do about Jax, she'll meet a new guy, but is he too good to be true? Tara's life takes a potentially deadly turn when everyone's favorite crazy ATF agent Joshy Kohn appears.

Clay meets Scarlett and finds her oddly familiar. Scarlett worries that there is a resemblance between Jax and Clay and fears Jax could be her half-brother.

The MC will struggle with threats from the Mayans and the Nords and run guns with the Irish. Jax steps up with a new plan for the gun warehouse.

Bucky Jeffers survives, but his journey to Charming may prove fatal.


	166. Chapter 166

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **166 Respect**

Ten years ago, he'd loved Tara with his whole heart. He'd hated her for a few years after she left and then somehow his feelings for her were gone. Worn away with time. No love. No hate. Just emptiness.

Out of respect for the love they had once shared, he had treated her as kindly as possible while still telling her the truth. Near the end of their conversation, it had been a struggle. It angered him that after ten years, she could come back to Charming and think they could get back together as though the break up had never happened. He might still live in Charming, but his life had not stood still waiting for Tara.

She would always hold a place in his heart because she was his first love. That was history. He gave her the gift of freedom by letting her know that it was over for them. He wanted her to move ahead with her life by either leaving town or finding a guy in Charming.

Losing Wendy and Bela left Jax a little softer and a little more sensitive. When she started crying, he'd comforted her. She kissed him and he responded. It was just a reflex. Nothing more. He would have done the same with any girl. He was pretty sure that was true.

When she suggested sex, that slammed the brakes on everything. He'd fallen into a sex trap with Wendy; he wasn't about to fall into one with Tara. She tried to convince him that it was just sex. It was never just sex if there had been feelings involved. For someone who was supposed to be so smart, Tara had a lot to learn about life. Still. Sex with Tara would mean to her that they were getting back together.

Sex with Tara had been the best of his life. It wasn't about skill; it was about feelings. It added a dimension to it that moved it beyond just physical. Maybe that was partly why he'd rejected her. Without being in love with her, sex would have been different, ordinary, like crow-eater sex. It would tarnish his memories.

Scarlett was completely different. The second he saw her, he thought about sex, but that was normal when he saw an attractive girl. Here he was still hanging around her and no sex. It wasn't even in the foreseeable future due to her back injury. And he was still OK with it.

She was intoxicating and addictive. He couldn't imagine his life without her. Maybe that was love. What the hell did labels matter anyway? It was enough that she was in his life. She was also smart and not just regular smart. She was useful smart. He was going to share some of what he'd learned from her with the guys tonight.

He heard Chibs rounding up everyone for church. He walked into the chapel and took his seat on the left hand side of Clay. It was going to be a tough meeting because he was going to challenge Clay.


	167. Chapter 167

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 167 Voice**

The alcohol mixed with a sleeping pill might not have been the best idea. Tara looked at the clock on her night table and discovered she had slept the day away and it was after five.

It didn't matter. She didn't have anything to do anyway except feel sorry for herself. She wasn't sure which hurt more—when Jax told her he didn't love her anymore or when he refused to have sex with her. Sleep had done nothing to dim the memory or taken some of the edge off her emotional pain.

How the hell hadn't she seen this coming? She wanted to believe that she and Jax had this epic love that would last forever. How could she have been that stupid? It was all the movies on TV and romance novels about epic love. She wanted to believe it existed for her and Jax—that what they had together was extraordinary, a love that only a rare few were lucky enough to feel.

It gutted her when he dismissed their love as just being a high school romance that had run its course. She felt it was so much more. It was hard to accept that her deep love for Jax wasn't returned. She didn't doubt that he had loved her with his whole heart in high school. She just couldn't believe that he didn't have a tiny bit of love left for her. Maybe he didn't even know it.

Even if he didn't love her now, he wasn't lost to her forever. He loved her once. He could fall in love with her again. She had changed a lot in ten years. The Tara he knew had been insecure and unsure of herself. Most sixteen year old girls were like that. It was part of growing up.

Jax had always known where he wanted to go and what he wanted to do with his life. His whole life was the MC. It was the family business. His mother, father and stepfather were all involved in it. Gemma used to talk about the MC like it was a monarchy. She was the queen, of course, and Jax was the prince waiting for his turn to rule.

She knew he would never leave Charming, but she'd still tried to get him to leave with her hoping that there was just a chance that he might leave. She thought if he loved her enough, he would come with her and they would be able to fight for their love and put their relationship back together. At least now she realized that was never going to happen. He wouldn't leave Charming and his destiny.

Tara needed to figure out how long she was willing to stay in Charming, trying to awaken Jax's dormant love for her or get him to fall in love with her again. A year. She would stay in town for a year. If it still looked hopeless in a year, she would leave town and never come back.

It didn't matter how much she humiliated herself as long as it didn't end up in her work history. She would leave town and move on with her life leaving the humiliation behind her if she couldn't get Jax back in a year.

Now that she had set a deadline, she would have to come up with a better plan. She hadn't really come up with much of a plan in the beginning. She hadn't really thought she would need one. She'd had a crazy and foolish hope that he would want to try their relationship again the second she mentioned it.

Tara knew she sometimes looked at things optimistically without regard to reality, facts or logic. It was magical thinking like believing in epic love stories and that she was special enough to have one with Jax. Despite what he said, she still believed they had an epic love story. She just needed to come up with a way to make him love her again.

After polishing off the Kahlua, Tara had come up with an idea; she would become friends with Scarlett. It would show Jax that she wasn't crazy with jealousy anymore.

She wouldn't try to mess up Scarlett and Jax's relationship. Everyone would expect that. Instead she would be a real friend to Scarlett. She would show Jax how much she had changed.

Jax and Scarlett's relationship would run its course and she would be there ready to step in to console a broken-hearted Jax. He would realize that she was his soul mate and his only true love.

She recognized that she might be doing more magical thinking, but she didn't care. While she believed she and Jax would find their way back together, life was worth living. She could always face an ugly reality in twelve months if they weren't back together.

Her cell phone rang and her heart beat a little faster when she didn't recognize the phone number, hoping it was Jax. She answered the call.

"You changed your number again," a male voice said.

"I have a restraining order," Tara said. "It covers phone calls too."

"I'm a federal agent, so I know that," he replied. "I don't know why you bother to change your number because I can always get it."

"You call me again and I will file charges. This is your last chance."

"Do you really think anyone would care enough to do anything about a little phone call?" he scoffed sarcastically. "See you soon, Tar-tar."

Tara ended the call and ran to the bathroom to throw up. She wasn't sure if it was all the Kahlua she drank or being called Tar-tar by the revolting Joshy Kohn.


	168. Chapter 168

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 168 Tabled**

Jax looked around the table. All the guys were there Clay, Tig, Chibs, Juice, Bobby, Piney and Happy who was a member of the nomad chapter. He was spending more and more time in Charming lately. Opie was still in prison serving time for possession of stolen property.

"When Alvarez torched our warehouse, we were focused on getting our guns back," Jax began. "Now we need to figure out how he found our warehouse. Any ideas?"

All the guys at the table shook their heads.

"If we rebuild our warehouse somewhere else, how safe is it going to be? I think we have been lax with security. We went to the warehouse on our bikes in our cuts. Someone could have seen us and followed. Outside Charming, we always get scrutiny from law enforcement. We were lucky it was Alvarez and not ATF."

"What do you think we should do?" Clay demanded impatiently.

"We need to rethink the whole idea of having a gun warehouse. It ties up a lot of money. I think we should look into renting a place and then moving every six months to help keep the location secret," Jax replied.

"That would help our cash situation. To find land and rebuild will take every penny from the land sale and more," Bobby said.

"I also think we need to lose the idea of a warehouse. We need a place to assemble and store our guns. That's all. We could use a house. That would keep us further off the grid. We also never go to the place in our cuts on our bikes. We always go to the place in cars without cuts. That will cut down our visibility."

"And who is going to rent this place?" Clay asked.

"We send in our new watchman. He either rents it in his name or makes up a common name like Jose Garcia."

"Or Marcus Alvarez," Clay suggested and everyone laughed.

"He can pay with a money order," Jax continued when the laughter subsided. "He's just an illegal trying to make a home for his family—our gun assembly crew. For further security, we use a remote to open the garage, drive inside and then close the door. That way there are no pictures of any of us and we're never seen at the house."

"I like it," Bobby said. "We don't tie up a lot of money and moving our gun factory around will make it harder for someone to find it especially with new security measures."

"We can also continue to make guns. We could be down for a couple of months if we have to find land and build a warehouse. The Irish aren't going to like it. They depend on us to sell a certain volume," Chibs said in his thick Scots brogue. "This could help us avoid a problem with them."

"If we're down a couple of months, what will our customers do?" Juice asked.

"They'll find another supplier," Jax said. "What do you think Clay?"

"We can give it a try. See how it works. It's going to be inconvenient as hell having to use a car and removing our cuts, but it might be the answer to flying under the radar," Clay replied. "It will also keep our gun money coming in. Are we ready to vote this?"

The club voted unanimously to move ahead with Jax's idea. Tig was in charge of finding a watchman and assembly crew and Bobby was going to find houses to rent.

"Just one more thing," Jax said. "I'm going to be away from work a couple of days a week over the next month or so. I have a new business opportunity, but it's only temporary."

No one asked Jax any specifics about what he was going to be doing. It was an outlaw MC and they all assumed he was doing something illegal.

After the meeting, Jax spent about an hour with his brothers before slipping away to see Scarlett. He was just going to drop in on her and maybe go for a walk. Just as he was turning into the hotel parking lot, he saw Scarlett walking to her motel room with Hale.

She tripped and he grabbed her arm and steadied her. He left his hand on her, guiding her with his hand holding her elbow. That was what he did when _they_ were walking. Jax left the parking lot while their backs were turned and before they could see him.

He didn't like Hale being with Scarlett. He didn't like that Hale had his hands on Scarlett. Most of all he didn't like that they were going into her motel room. He wondered if she would invite him to sleep with her.

If this had happened eight or nine years ago, he might have gone to her room and tossed Hale out. He was just that angry. Now he had more self-control.

With all the time he and Scarlett had spent together, he thought of her as his territory. No man was supposed to be around her. She belonged with him or to him. He wasn't sure which one.

What the hell was going on? When had Scarlett become so important to him he wanted to beat the shit out of Hale for touching her arm? How could she even want to be with Hale?

He thought about driving back to the motel's parking lot and checking to see if Hale's car were still parked there. He had never been jealous when he and Tara or he and Wendy were together.

He didn't know why he was seething with jealousy over Hale spending time with Scarlett. It wasn't as though they were going to have sex or anything. Scarlett's back injury made that impossible.

He felt that she had betrayed him by being with Hale. More crazy thinking. They had never discussed anything about their relationship. He had just assumed that he was the only man in her life.

If he went to his house, he would just get angrier and angrier as he thought about her and Hale. He returned to the clubhouse to drown himself in alcohol and crow-eater pussy.


	169. Chapter 169

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 169 Blindside**

Clay was furious that Jax had brought up renting a place for their gun factory instead of buying land and building a new warehouse. He should have at least mentioned it to him and not blindsided him. No one said anything, but he knew they were all wondering why he hadn't thought about this and suggested it.

He knew exactly what Jax was doing; he would come up with new ideas and suggestions on how to improve the running of the MC. Eventually, the other Sons would wonder why Clay was president when Jax was really doing the leading.

It bruised his ego, but he knew that in some ways, Jax was smarter. That didn't make him a leader. Jax was like his old man—weak. Clay was more ruthless and cunning than Jax. That would always give him an edge over the little prince.

The arthritis in his hands continued to worsen. He had maybe two years—three tops before his hands froze up and he wouldn't be able to ride. Jax was welcome to be president of SAMCRO then he was ready to step down and not a second before.

To top off the day, he'd just found out that Bucky Jeffers was going to live. The bastard would probably sue the state for negligence. He should get a refund for the botched hit, but hired killers came with no warranties.

There was always a chance that Bucky would be returned to prison and then the hit would be completed. Just because one hit failed, it didn't mean that another wouldn't succeed. He was giving up too soon.

That was it. He was going to cough up a little more money and get the Cartier Crew to kill Bucky. They had the organization and the reach to get to Bucky even if that meant waiting until Bucky was released from prison.

It would be well worth the expense to prevent brother Bucky from coming to Charming and destroying his life.

Life was good again.


	170. Chapter 170

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 170 Discovery**

Jax wondered what the hell had gone wrong last night. He'd returned to the clubhouse, drank a lot and buried himself deep inside a couple of crow-eaters—just a normal Friday night. It just hadn't been that much fun.

He had even tried pretending one of the girls was Scarlett. It hadn't worked. Part of that may have been his choice of crow-eater. Connie was pretty enough; she just needed to bathe more often and not use cheap cologne to cover up body odor.

Scarlett always smelled clean and sometimes she wore perfume. She didn't smell like flowers like the stuff most girls used. She wore something more exotic. It always made him want to pull her closer because she smelled so good.

Sex was OK with Connie, but it just seemed like something was missing. Seeing Tara reminded him of how much better sex was when there was an emotional connection.

That emotional bond that had seemed so unbreakable between him and Tara had vanished completely. When he talked to her, there wasn't a shred of it left. She didn't see it because she was holding onto the past and to a version of him that no longer existed.

Maybe losing Wendy and Bella had caused this sudden wave of maturity and insight into life. Maybe he would never go back to being the carefree Jax Teller. If that came with Scarlett, he might be OK with being more mature.

He had spent the last ten years in pursuit of quantity and wondered why he always felt empty inside. He thought it was loneliness and foolishly tried to fix that with Wendy when it was really love that he was missing.

Women were supposed to be the romantic ones, but the Teller men had a big romantic streak. When JT was away from Charming on MC business, he would write Gemma love letters.

He had never done anything like that, but he did like to do thoughtful things when he cared about a girl the way he did things for Scarlett from getting her soft drinks to help her blood sugar to taking her walking to help her back.

He couldn't get the picture of Scarlett and Hale out of his mind. Son of a bitch. He couldn't really be worrying that Scarlett would prefer _Hale_ over _him_.

Yeah, he was worried. Scarlett lived a dangerous life on the run from her psycho ex. Hale could give her some security. She might even believe a relationship with Hale would fix her psycho ex problems for good.

There was no fucking way he was going to lose Scarlett to Hale or any other man. Oh, hell. He _wasn't_ falling in love with Scarlett. He was already in love with her. He wanted love in his life, he just hadn't expected to find it with a girl he thought was just driving through Charming.

He knew one thing; he didn't want to end up like Juice when he was in love. That happened a couple of times a month. Juice would walk around the clubhouse with a goofy smile on his face. He'd seen him walk into walls when he was on the phone with the current great love of his life. It gave love a bad name.

Jax knocked on Scarlett's door to take her to Fun Town and then off to the lake house for a nice romantic weekend. He was determined to find out exactly what was going on between her and Hale and put a stop to it. There was no way in hell he was losing her to him.


	171. Chapter 171

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 171 Rebirth**

Tara had spent the past couple of days wallowing in misery, heartbreak and alcohol. She let herself cry her eyes out. Normally she didn't allow herself to cry. It was a sign of weakness and she hated feeling weak.

She'd earned the right to cry this time. It had taken a lot of courage to go to Jax and tell him she wanted to give their relationship another chance. It had also taken a lot of courage and even more foolishness to ask him to have sex with her one last time. The rejection still stung.

Now, this was the beginning of the new reborn Tara. She showered, washed her hair and flat-ironed it into a glossy mahogany curtain. She carefully applied her make-up to play up her eyes and her warm brown eye color.

Next, she put on a pair of tight jeans and a sleeveless amber colored V-neck top that showed just a trace of cleavage because that was all she had to show. She stood back and looked at herself in the mirror. This was about as good as she could look without adding another inch of make-up, false eyelashes and a push-up bra.

She grabbed her brown leather shoulder bag and headed out the door to Fun Town. It was one of the few instances when fun came to Charming. Residents normally had to venture outside the city's boundaries for fun, movies, shopping and life.

She still hated that smallness and the inability to find anything beyond the basic necessities in town. There were no major grocery store chains, fast food restaurants, office supply supercenters or hardware stores. That was something that hadn't changed in the ten years she'd been gone.

It was all part of Charming's plan to "stay Charming". That was the official city motto. The unofficial motto was no growth, no violent crime and SAMCRO was the unofficial enforcer of that motto. If the city grew, SAMCRO would lose sway and might have to obey the same laws as the residents of Charming.

The lawless part of Jax's life had been hard for her to swallow at first. She'd been raised to be a good little rule follower, but falling in love with Jax changed her, got her to see that life wasn't black and white and rules were made by the powerful to keep the weak in check.

Almost everyone in town made it to Fun Town during it's four day stay. She knew she might run into Jax and probably Scarlett, but she couldn't hide forever and she couldn't make friends with Scarlett from inside her father's house.

She hoped that it wouldn't end in a brawl with Gemma. That woman was such a hateful bitch. Gemma had hated her at first sight. She smiled as she thought of how much Gemma was going to hate Scarlett. It would be a point they could bond over.

 _Next Up: Scarlett meets daddy Clay and Jax is tested._


	172. Chapter 172

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 172 Evil**

Scarlett opened the door for Jax and let him into her motel room.

"I feel bad that you made a trip all the way over here just to put my suitcase and laptop in my car."

"Scarlett, you know that if you lift them, you'll make your back worse."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "I just hate being a burden to you."

"I don't mind helping you. You need to pay the price though."

Scarlett narrowed her eyes and looked at him with one hand on her hip.

"I don't remember you mentioning payment."

"Give me a kiss."

"Well, if I have to . . ."

"Hey, I rode my bike five minutes for you."

"That was a pretty big sacrifice," she agreed.

She walked over to him, stood on tiptoe and kissed him lightly on the lips.

"You can do better than that," Jax said.

"It _was_ only five minutes."

Scarlett grinned mischievously at him. She was daring him to kiss her and she knew Jax Teller wasn't a man who would turn down that kind of challenge.

He kissed her hard and hungry. Scarlett felt the ground shift under her feet. She grabbed him by his T-shirt to keep her balance.

Jax lifted his head and dropped his arms from around her. She released her hold on his shirt.

"Well?"

"That wasn't . . ." Scarlett drew in a shaky breath, "bad."

Jax rocked back on his heels and studied her face with an amused smile on his face.

"Damned right it wasn't."

Jax had won that round, but losing felt so good it really wasn't losing. She enjoyed flirting with him and being with him and that was as far as she wanted to think.

"You aren't checking out of your room this time?"

She shook her head.

"No, it's too much trouble. I think I'll stay here until I can find a place to live."

Scarlett followed Jax to his house. He parked his bike inside his garage and she drove them to the outskirts of town where Fun Town had set up its traveling carnival.

The acreage had originally been purchased by a developer to build luxury homes and condos. The Charming city council had other ideas and the developer got hit with an endless sea of regulations and required studies from environmental impact reports to a study to estimate the cost a new development would have on the city from police staffing levels, to sewage treatment issues to the impact on the city's roads and other infrastructure. Just in case that wasn't enough, the city adopted huge increases in developer fees.

The owner tried to sell the land, but no one wanted to buy such a large tract of land with such restrictions on its use. Fun Town's annual visit was the developer's only source of income from the land.

As Jax helped Scarlett out of her car, he looked into her eyes.

"I forgot to tell you that you look beautiful today."

"Only today?"

"Always. I just don't want you to get conceited."

She poked him in the chest with her index finger.

"You are a hard man, Jax Teller."

"So you keep telling me. You could make things easier for me."

"Really? How?"

"Have sex with me."

Scarlett laughed.

"I probably wouldn't be able to walk for a week afterwards."

"Well, sometimes great pleasure comes with a price."

"Great pleasure?" Scarlett said, laughing harder. She groaned and wrapped her arms around her body to lessen the pain from the muscles pulling as she laughed.

"You just made my point. You've been having sex with the wrong guys if you haven't experienced great pleasure."

"You're definitely right about the wrong guys."

"We're going to be amazing together," he promised.

Scarlett caught her breath as she saw the fire in his blue eyes. Her resistance to him was especially low today. Her sexy side shut down when she left her psycho ex at the altar. Jax was starting to wake that part of her up and it scared her. Once more, she gave thanks for her back injury. It couldn't have happened at a better time.

A big bright red "Fun Town" sign was lit by spotlights despite it only being late afternoon. The north end of the field contained the rides. The west side had most of the typical carnival games from shooting metal ducks to knocking down milk jugs with a baseball. There was even a dunk tank. Food trucks and booths were confined mainly to the east side.

Jax held her elbow and guided her carefully through the throngs of people. He treated her like she was a delicate piece of crystal. She'd never been with a man who treated her with such care.

She got the irony that the man who treated her so gently was an outlaw biker from a world where women were not treated as equals but rather as property. Jax Teller wasn't like any man she'd ever met and she suspected he wasn't like the typical biker. He was a unique man.

He was dressed as usual in jeans, a T-shirt and his cut. He had this hip swinging walk that was sexy as hell. The crowd seemed to almost magically part for him and every girl that set eyes on him wanted him. Scarlett enjoyed being with a man who was so highly desired.

He found a small seating area. While Scarlett sat down and saved him a seat, he went off to get them batter fried cheese and cherry lemonade. She hadn't eaten that day. Her stomach was in knots because she kept thinking about coming face to face with Clay.

Now that she was so close to meeting her father, she could feel the cold terror run through her body. He was the monster that destroyed her childhood and tried to kill her.

Kids' faces and bodies change so much, she knew it would be almost impossible for him to recognize her. He had only caught a glimpse of her as he finished choking her mother to death.

She would never forget the look of rage and hate in his eyes as he chased her and Violet as they ran from the house. He had been determined to kill her. If Violet hadn't been home, he would have succeeded.

There was no statue of limitations on murder, so it didn't matter how much time passed. Clay could still face a murder trial. That made her a danger to him. She had a real reason to fear him.

He had a reason to fear her, she reminded herself. She and her father were going to make sure Clay paid a price for killing her mother. She wanted him to go to prison for the rest of his life stripped of MC protection.

By the time she and Jax finished their food, she was calmer.

"This is really fun. I can't remember the last time I was at a carnival."

"Pretty much everyone in town comes at least once. For Charming, this is top of the line entertainment."

Scarlett tilted her head to the side as she laughed. That's when she caught a glimpse of Clay making his way over to her.


	173. Chapter 173

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 173 Déjà Vu**

Clay was looking at the woman with Jax. The tilt of her head and the shape of her face brought back the memory of Eden and his time in Hell.

He'd been on a run with SAMCRO to the Laredo, Texas chapter. A low budget horror movie was filming nearby. They had hired some of the SAMCLO guys as extras. The MC guys invited most of the women in the film back to the clubhouse for a party. Eden was playing a starring role and was one of the few cast members who would make it to the end of the film alive.

She had black hair that had a blueish shine when the light hit it just right, large beautiful green eyes and a smile full of promise. The second he saw her, he wanted her. It had nothing to do with love. It was lust.

When he fell in love with Gemma, it had happened over time as he got to know her. By the time she married JT, he was in love with her. JT was more of the romantic dreamer kind of man. That was what Gemma thought she wanted in an old man.

When JT fell apart after the death of his son, Thomas, Gemma was done with him. He provided the strength she needed to get through losing her son. _He_ was a real man.

He and Gemma were happily married when he met Eden, but it didn't matter. He was drawn to her like a drug. She was intoxicating and he couldn't get enough of her. Six months later, she told him she was pregnant with his daughter.

That dose of reality was all he needed. His sanity was back. He never saw her again, never heard anymore about the baby and he never returned to Laredo until the night he killed her.

Years later, Eden returned to the Laredo SOA clubhouse following a divorce. She discovered the chapter was sex trafficking children. Eden went under cover for the Feds and brought down the Laredo SOA chapter for sex trafficking little girls _and_ little boys. No member condoned child rape, but a brother is a brother and in good times and bad, you stand by your brother.

The Sons of Anarchy couldn't allow a rat to live. An outlaw MC couldn't exist if people were free to rat on them. It was the threat of death that kept the rats' mouths shut.

He'd gone to Laredo to Eden's house to kill her. He couldn't let anyone else do the job because he was afraid she might reveal more about their relationship than he wanted known in an effort to save herself or her daughter.

Just as he finished choking the life out of her, he saw the daughter that she claimed was his. She'd seen him kill her mother, so she had to die. A teenaged girl pepper sprayed him in the face after he chased them out of the house.

For many months after that, he expected the police to come knocking on his door in Charming. As more time passed, his anxiety lessened. He convinced himself that the girl didn't know who he was or someone knew that if the girl went to the police claiming he killed her mother, she'd be killed and kept her silent.

Still, every so often he'd see something in a woman's face that reminded him of Eden or his daughter and he was gripped with fear and the need to remove the danger from his life by finding and killing the witness.

Jax held onto the woman's elbow, guiding her through the thinning crowd towards Gemma and him. Gemma was studying the woman carefully. Clay knew that no woman would ever truly get Gemma's approval.

Coming face to face with the woman gave him a jolt. She did look a little like Eden. She had her green eyes. The girl that saw him kill her mother had green eyes.

Jax introduced the girl as Scarlett. The name meant nothing to him.

"You look familiar," Clay said. "Have you ever been to Texas?"

For a moment, Clay thought he saw shock and some fear in her eyes.


	174. Chapter 174

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 174 Test**

Scarlett felt flooded with terror as she stood facing him. She thought all the trauma she'd been through with her psycho ex had toughened her up, but nothing could ever really prepare her to face the man that choked the life out of her mother. Back then she'd been frozen in fear until Violet grabbed her hand and pulled her away and out of the house.

"You look familiar to me too," Scarlett said. "For a moment you reminded me of my sixth grade teacher who used to bounce kids of the lockers as he dragged them to the office. I was terrified of him."

Scarlett knew that she might have showed some fear when she saw him and she needed to cover it. The story of her violent teacher was true; Clay just looked nothing like him.

"Have you ever been to Texas?"

"No," Scarlett said shaking her head. "Wait a minute," she said pausing. "I have been to Texas a couple of times when I had to change planes. Never made it further than the airport."

Jax squeezed her elbow. Scarlett hoped like hell that was his way of signaling her that he wasn't going to contradict her story.

She had a feeling that Clay wasn't the type of man who would need a lot of proof that she was the adult version of the child that saw him commit murder. He would act to protect himself. The fact that he was her bio dad would do nothing to soften his heart or save her.

Sometimes she would wonder how she was like him. She remembered enough of her mother that she knew how she was like her mother, but she had no idea how she might be like Clay. There must be something about her that was like him.

When she was growing up, she had tried to be as much like her father—the man that raised her—as possible to wipe out any traces of evil that might be inside her that could make her turn into a cold-blooded murderer like Clay.

"How long are you in town?" Gemma asked.

"I'm hoping to make it permanent. I just signed a five year lease on a building downtown. I'm going to open a home décor store."

"I should warn you that Charming isn't the type of place that likes all that modern furniture and big city stuff," Gemma said.

"Maybe you can help me with some of my design choices," Scarlett said sweetly.

Jax chuckled.

"Gemma's tastes are more Victorian funeral parlor," Jax said.

Clay and Jax laughed and Scarlett felt her fear begin to lessen.

Suddenly a woman staggered through the carnival grounds shouting and slurring the words "dumbass" and "dipshit" over and over again.

"Who is that?" Scarlett asked.

"Jax's mother-in-law," Gemma said.

"Former," he corrected.


	175. Chapter 175

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 175 Sweetness**

Gemma knew her son well. He hadn't looked at a girl like he was looking at Scarlett since Tara. Jax was falling hard for this girl.

She was prettier than Tara. She always thought Jax should be with a prettier girl. Tara might be smarter than this one, but she didn't see Tara's intelligence as such a great character trait. Tara's sharp mind was something that Gemma distrusted. She was always afraid Tara would outthink her, trick her and take her son away.

Gemma decided she would make an effort to get along with this girl. She'd rather Jax be with her than Tara. She would never trust Tara after she tried to get Jax to leave Charming. She suspected Tara was back in town again to try to get Jax to leave with her. She didn't believe for a second that Tara was back because she had gotten a great job at St. Francis.

There was something she didn't understand. Clay hadn't been to Texas since the Laredo chapter went down for sex trafficking kids. That had given the Sons of Anarchy such a black eye, there had been no attempt to start a chapter in the Lone Star state again.

If Clay had run into the girl in Texas, she would have had to have been a child. Did Clay think she was one of the kids that had been sex trafficked? How else would Clay think he knew her from Texas?

Clay had his bad points, but she'd never had even a hint that his sexual tastes ran to kids. He was pretty vanilla as far as sex was concerned.

The more twisted a man's secrets, the harder he holds onto them. It was possible that Clay did things on runs, but not with children. She wouldn't live with someone that used kids for sex. That was a perversion and sickness she would _never_ tolerate.

Clay could have met a girl who had a resemblance to Scarlett and she might have mentioned living in Texas. That would explain it and it made the most sense. And above all, it didn't mean that Clay was a sex pervert.

Wilda was continuing to stumble around people and slur out "dumbass" and "dipshit."

"Jax, you should deal with Wilda."

"Why?"

"You're her only relative," Gemma said.

"I'll help," Clay offered.

"I'll be right back," Jax said as he left Scarlett.

"Can you actually walk on your own?" Gemma asked.

"Yeah, I can. I injured my back lifting boxes. It's made walking, standing and living difficult. Jax has been really kind to me."

"Jax is kind to a _lot_ of girls," Gemma said with a smirk.

Gemma forgot for a moment that she was going to be _nice_ to this girl. She had automatically treated her the way she treated Tara by making little barbed comments. Be nice, she reminded herself.

"I've noticed the way women look at him," Scarlett said calmly. "It's the price you pay for being with a hot sexy guy."

"I like your attitude," Gemma said with a laugh. "Have you met his ex?"

"Dr. Knowles?"

"The very same."

"I've met her twice. I think she's still carrying a torch for Jax."

Gemma nodded her head. This girl was no fool. She understood that Jax was going to attract attention. Tara was always crazy with jealousy.

"That's what I think too."

"If Jax still loves her and they can figure out how to make their relationship work, maybe they should be together."

"They had a toxic relationship. It was a high school romance that didn't work out. Jax doesn't still love her."

"Good news for me then."

"Don't break his heart or you'll answer to me," Gemma said with a smile that showed her teeth. It looked more frightening than reassuring.

"What if he breaks my heart?"

"You're on your own," Gemma said.

Scarlett wrapped her arm around her waist as she laughed.

Jax and Clay returned to the women.

"Looks like you two are getting along," Clay said surprise in his voice.

"So far," Scarlett said.

"How did you deal with Wilda?" Gemma asked.

"We found someone who could give her a ride home and we gave her a chose—go home or get locked in a porta potty," Jax said.

"Not much of a choice," Scarlett said.

"Wilda's so drunk, she isn't capable of higher level thought," Jax said. "I can't blame it on Wendy's death. Wilda's always drunk."

Gemma tugged at Clay's arm.

"Come on, remember what you promised me we were going to do in the photo booth?" Gemma asked Clay with a wicked smile.

"You promised _me_ ," Clay protested, but allowed Gemma to grab him by the arm and drag him away.

"Family," Jax said with a shake of his head.


	176. Chapter 176

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 176 Recount**

Jax looked Scarlett over and noticed that she didn't look like Gemma had given her a beat down. That was a good sign.

"Did you have a nice conversation with my mother?" Jax asked.

Scarlett grinned at him.

"Oh, yeah. She wanted to know if I could walk on my own."

Jax groaned.

"I told her I could. I said you have been very kind to me. She said you are kind to a _lot_ of girls."

Jax remembered last night and he felt worse than he already did about spending the evening entertaining a couple of crow-eaters.

"Mothers, you don't want to live with them and it's against the law to kill them."

"You're an outlaw," Scarlett reminded him.

"Good point. Maybe Gemma ought to be worried."

Scarlett laughed.

"That's not all your mother told me. She told me not to break your heart or I would have to answer to her."

"I'll handle my mother."

"I asked her what about if you broke my heart. She said I was on my own."

"I didn't think you ever fell in love."

"I don't."

Jax could hear a note of uncertainty in her voice. He had been with too many girls to not see the signs. Whether she would admit it or not, Scarlett was starting to let him inside her heart.

"You're heart isn't as hard as you think."

"Wishful thinking on your side," she said with a smile.

"I think it's wishful thinking on _your_ side."

For a moment, time stood still and Jax felt like they were all alone. He was fighting the urge to kiss her long and hard. He didn't like big displays of affection. He thought it made him look like a pussy.

He didn't have to fight temptation. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Tara making her way towards them. Great. Just great.


	177. Chapter 177

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 177 Ouch!**

Watching Jax and Scarlett together was torture. It wasn't the 50 Shades good kind where it hurts but feels good on some level. It was just all hell, pain and horror with a carnival sound track. This was her new reality.

Jax was with someone else who seemed to make him happy because he was always smiling and happy when she saw them together. She knew that if she were a better person, she would be happy that he had found someone.

She was a long way from becoming that better person. She had serious doubts that she would ever be glad that he was with another woman. She wasn't perfect. She was going to quit beating herself up for her many faults and just accept them.

This was a test for her. She had to walk up to Jax and Scarlett have a brief conversation and leave the carnival. Once this was over, the next time wouldn't be as bad. In small town Charming, running into the happy couple was going to happen.

Now, she could see the good side to losing Jax. If she couldn't rekindle their romance, she could get the hell out of this small minded town. Focus on this part of not being with Jax. _She got to leave Charming._

She forgot about Gemma. Being free of Jax, also made her Gemma free. She hated that bitch. See, she reassured herself, there were lots of good things about not being with Jax. With her head in a better place, she walked up to Jax and Scarlett.

"Are you enjoying the carnival?" she asked Scarlett.

"I am. I told Jax I can't remember the last time I went to a carnival."

"How are y . . ." Tara broke off as Wilda half staggered, half ran past her.

"She escaped. She bit me too," a man said to Jax.

"I'll be right back," Jax told the women as he left with the man.

"Do you know what's going on?" Tara asked.

"Wilda's drunk and Jax and Clay found her a ride home."

"My father was an alcoholic too, but he wasn't the Wilda kind. He was the kind that came home from work, ate dinner and then had four or five drinks before bed."

"The invisible alcoholic," Scarlett said.

"Exactly. Everyone thinks to be an alcoholic you have to be the Wilda kind of drunk or the violent drunk, but sometimes it's quiet."

"This is a little awkward," Scarlett said.

"It's Charming. That's the way it is. I have tried to think of a physio place that could help you, but there just isn't anywhere great."

"That's nice of you."

"I used to be with Jax and you're with him now. That doesn't mean we can't be friends. I don't hate you because you're with him. You didn't take him away from me. I lost him and it was more than a decade ago."

"I'm glad you feel that way. I don't like feeling like I'm the villain in some Lifetime or Hallmark movie."

"I know the kind where one girl is scheming and sucks the fun out of the guy."

"And the good girl is usually ruthlessly perky," Scarlett added.

"I like that. Ruthlessly perky."

"For once, I'd love for the guy to tell the bouncy cheerful girl that he can't stand another minute of her sunny personality."

"Love it. Next scene, he's gone goth with dyed black hair and eyeliner."

Scarlett laughed.

"It would be the biggest twist ever in a Lifetime or Hallmark movie. Of course, then the guy wakes up and realizes it was all a dream and there is the perky girl with a wedding ring on her finger, but in a twist within a twist, he longs to have the courage to be goth guy."

"He just doesn't have the balls to do it," Tara picked up one Scarlett's idea. "All those guys just seem too antiseptic for me. The guys look good, but there is just no sex appeal."

"What I really hate is they portray women as hunting for a man. Their lives can't be complete without one. I don't need anyone to complete me. That's why I don't understand the dating shows where women are in a pack, they throw in some guy who is fresh meat and the girls fight for him like animals in a jungle."

"I feel the same way," Tara said.

Tara planned to make friends with Scarlett to get to Jax, but she found herself actually liking her. Maybe women didn't have to demonize each other in a competition for a man.

Jax returned with a couple of scratch marks marring the tattoos on the lower part of his arms.

"She won't escape this time. We put her in the trunk. He'll let her out when he gets to her place. She wrecked her car in her last DUI and its almost ten miles to get here."

"That was kind of you," Tara said. "It's better than spending days in lock-up. Detoxing from alcohol can be fatal even under medical supervision."

"I'm not going to keep looking after Wilda."

"I don't think Wilda will ever get sober. My father may have had a drinking problem, but he never drove drunk or hurt anyone."

"Your dad was a good guy," Jax said.

Tara's eyes filled with tears. Her father's death was still a recent loss.

"Thanks, Jax," she said softly. She cleared her throat and looked at Scarlett. "You want to grab lunch some time?"

"Sure," Scarlett agreed.

"Give me a call at the hospital or Jax has my number."

"OK."

Tara saw the surprise in Jax's eyes. She had gotten in a few cat fights here and there when girls tried to cross the line with Jax.

There wasn't just surprise in Jax's eyes. She saw approval. He liked this new adult version of her. Maybe she could really get him back.


	178. Chapter 178

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 178 Rollover**

Jax rubbed his hand over his chin beard with a surprised look on his face.

"Did that just happen?"

"What?"

"You and Tara getting along and planning lunch?"

"She seems nice. She said that you were with her in the past and I'm with you now and she doesn't think there's any reason why we can't be friends. She also said she doesn't hate me because I didn't cause the break-up. I thought I would give it a shot. I don't really know anyone but you. Is it going to be too weird for you?"

Scarlett wasn't taken in by her bonding Lifetime/Hallmark moment with Tara. She knew Tara was still in love with Jax. She suspected this friendship overture had more to do with getting information to use for her to get Jax back. She was following the old advice to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

"No. I'm surprised. When Tara and I were together, she was crazy jealous. She got into all kinds of cat fights."

"Did you expect her to fight me?"

"Nah," he said flashing her the Jax Teller killer smile. "I figured she would take it easy on you because you aren't in fighting shape."

"Wow, thanks. I'd hate to think you left us alone thinking we might be rolling around in a cat fight."

"Darlin' if you're rolling around, I want it to be with me."

Scarlett rolled her eyes.

"Want me to tell you what we would be wearing?" he whispered in her ear.

She caught her breath at the look in his eyes. Her body was reacting to Jax like he was a blowtorch. He seemed to have more intensity today or maybe she'd gotten used to a certain level of Jax and, when she hadn't seen him for a couple of days, she'd lost some of her resistance. Her bones felt liquefied.

"You're lucky you're cute because you are getting to be impossible," Scarlett said.

"I think _you_ are becoming _less_ impossible."

Her heart hammered painfully in her chest. She reminded herself that she never falls in love, but it was getting to the point when her emotions were no longer obeying her brain.

How could any woman be expected to keep resisting a tall, blonde, hard-bodied man with perfect features and blue eyes the color of the sky on a rare air pollution free day? Most women would have slept with him by now.

Her back injury gave her the excuse not to take things further. She wondered if Jax would ever figure out that sex can be accomplished a number of different ways. With a little patience and experimenting, they could have sex. It was fun letting him think it was impossible.

The mysterious nature of back injuries gave her the cover and excuse she needed not to take their relationship to a more physical level. She enjoyed playing him. She had a feeling it was rare for a woman to have the upper hand with Jax Teller.

"What's up with that smile?" Jax demanded.

"You can quit looking down the front of my dress. My breasts are still there and they haven't changed," Scarlett said, neatly sidestepping his question.

Jax laughed.

"I'm a man. It's a reflex. You do have great breasts."

"I bet you say that to all the girls."

"Only the ones with great breasts," Jax protested.

Just as he was sliding is arm around her, five year-old Tristen Oswald ran up to them.

"Daddy, look! It's the angel lady," she said pointing at Scarlett.


	179. Chapter 179

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 179 Angel**

Jax could understand how a little girl might mistake Scarlett for an angel. She was wearing a white ankle length sundress, her pale blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight and she was beautiful.

"I'm not an angel," Scarlett said.

"I read to Tristen every night before bed and her favorite book has an angel in it and the drawings look a lot like you," Elliot Oswald said.

"You look like the angel lady," Tristen stared at Scarlett, her brown eyes wide with excitement. "Can I hug you?"

"Sure, but I hurt my back and I can't bend down," Scarlett said.

"It's the angel wings that keep her from bending," Jax said.

Tristen stared harder at Scarlett as though she were trying to find her wings under her dress.

"He's teasing you," Scarlett said.

"I'll lift you," Elliot said, lifting his daughter under the arms until she was face to face with Scarlett.

Scarlett and Tristen hugged and Scarlett smoothed the hair back from the little girl's face before Elliot set her down. Tristen had an ear to ear grin.

"You smell good."

Scarlett laughed.

"Let me smell you," Jax demanded.

"No. You are a strange man and, Tristen, you never let strange men sniff you."

Tristen giggled.

"Is he your boyfriend?"

Scarlett blushed.

"He wants to . . ."

"Who wouldn't want an angel for a girlfriend?" Jax interrupted.

"Stop it," Scarlett scolded Jax. "You are confusing her. My name is Scarlett."

Tristen giggled again.

"Is he your boyfriend?" Tristen whispered to Scarlett.

"Well, I guess he's sort of a boy," she replied.

"Sort of?" Jax questioned.

"I was thinking he's more of a man since he has hair on his face."

Tristen looked at Jax's beard.

"Do you use shampoo or soap on it?"

"That's a good question," Jax said. "No one has ever asked me that. I use soap."

"He _combs_ it too," Scarlett added.

"You comb your _face_?" Tristen asked with amazement.

"He has a special comb and everything," Scarlett said.

Scarlett and Tristen laughed together at the idea of Jax combing his face.

Elliot and Tristen left Jax and Scarlett to search for the food stand that was selling deep fried Snickers bars.

"Do you hear that?" Jax asked Scarlett.

"Hear what?"

"It's the sound of the thin ice you're on with me cracking."

"Oh, come on, you can't be mad that your combing secret has been revealed."

"How can I be mad at an angel?"

"That was going to be my next point."

"You are lucky that you are beautiful and I'm a man with a lot of patience," Jax said.

Scarlett laughed.


	180. Chapter 180

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 180 Parade**

There was Jax and the blonde whore. He was parading her around the carnival like a handler at a dog show working the show ring. He ought to put a leash on the bitch.

Life wasn't fair. Being beautiful wasn't enough for the blonde whore. She had to come to Charming and take Jax Teller, the city's greatest prize. _Son of a bitch._

That blonde whore could have any guy she wanted. She could marry some billionaire and be a little trophy wife. She could wear short skirts cut up to her pussy and stilettos so high and thin she would have to walk carefully or her big breasts would make her topple over.

How could Jax not see through the whore? She was just using him for sex. She had heard sexual things about Jax. He bought magnum sized condoms from the convenience store. He could stretch a girl out in all the right ways. She wanted him to stretch her out. She'd be happy with just one time.

She along with all the other carnival goers watched the blonde whore when she was talking to Sour Faced Bitch or Tara as most knew her. Everyone was waiting for the cat fight. Back in her prime, Tara was always in a cat fight. If a girl looked at Jax too long, that was all it took for the cat fight to begin.

Everyone was disappointed there wasn't a cat fight. Maybe Dr. Knowles couldn't get into cat fights anymore since she was a doctor. It would be bad for business.

The blonde whore and the sour faced bitch talked and even laughed together. What the hell was that about? Did the blonde whore have some kind of magical charm?

Now Jax and his blonde whore were laughing and smiling at each other. Jax never acted like that around other girls. What made the blonde whore so special?

The fact that she was beautiful was enough of an advantage in life without being smart and charming on top of it. If she were half as beautiful as the blonde whore, her life would be so much better. It would be heaven.

The rage began to build in her at the unfairness of life. It was selfish for the blonde whore to have so many advantages and she had so few.

The urge to kill was growing. She had to control it. She had promised that she wouldn't kill again until Louise was back. Killers got caught when they killed too often. She had to wait. She had to calm down.

Once Louise was dead, she would need to find another victim. The blonde whore would be the perfect kill after Louise. Jax would be grief-stricken. Maybe that would give her the opportunity she needed to get with Jax in an internally stretching out way.


	181. Chapter 181

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 181 Alert**

If Scarlett had seen the five guys coming towards her in a dark parking lot, she would have been terrified that something very bad was going to happen to her.

She recognized two of the men from the street fair she attended with Jax. She remembered the one with the Mohawk and tattoos was Juice and the other more boyish looking guy with dark blonde hair was named Half-Sack.

"Brother, where are your animals?" a man said to Jax with a thick Scots accent.

The man was average height, dark greasy hair with scars running from the corners to mid way up each cheek. He must have made someone hate him, Scarlett thought.

"Scarlett, this is Chibs," Jax said.

"I'm Tig," a man said.

The man was average height in his late forties or early fifties. He had reddish brown hair and bright blue eyes.

"I'm Bobby," the last man said.

He was heavy set with a bushy beard and coarse wavy hair that almost reached his shoulders. Of all the men, Bobby seemed the least dangerous.

"Every year, we go to the shooting gallery and win a bunch of stuffed animals," Jax explained to Scarlett.

"I didn't think you were the stuffed animal type," Scarlett said to Jax.

The guys laughed.

"We don't keep the stuffed animals," Jax said. "We give them to Gemma. She donates them to the fund raiser she has every year to benefit the local schools."

"Are you coming with us to win some animals?" Chibs asked.

"Sure," Jax said.

As they walked over to the area set aside for all the different carnival games, they passed a dunk tank. A man in a clown costume was sitting in the tank taunting passers-by.

"Look at all the big bad bikers," the clown said mockingly. "I bet they all throw like girls."

"Prospect, if you want to get patched in, you need to splash the clown," Chibs said.

Half-Sack bought three baseballs to throw at the small white target that would trigger the bench to drop sending the clown into the water.

Half-Sack failed each time. He got three more balls. On his last throw, he clipped the target.

"Splash the clown or you will never get patched in," Chibs repeated his earlier order.

Three balls later and the clown was still high and dry in the dunk tank booth.

"OK," Half-Sack said. "You said I only had to splash the clown."

"Right."

Half-Sack walked over to the white round disk target and pushed it, sending the clown into the water.

"I splashed the clown," he said.

"You just might get patched in," Chibs said.

Scarlett realized that the dunk tank was a test to see if Half-Sack would give up or find another way to splash the clown.

Next they set off for the shooting gallery. Jax explained there was a trick to winning at the shooting gallery; use the same gun that the man running the booth used. The other guns' sights were off making it nearly impossible to win.

Twenty minutes later, they had won six animals an elephant, a giraffe, a purple bear, a green frog, a panda bear and a pink poodle.

They had taken pity on Half-Sack. Normally they would make him carry the animals around during the carnival, but since he had splashed the clown, they let him off easy. He just needed to find Gemma or Clay so he could get the car key and put the animals inside.

When he returned, the guys had decided to go on the roller coaster ride.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Jax asked Scarlett.

"No, I'll just wander around on my own for a few minutes."

Normally Scarlett would have gone on the roller coaster despite her fear of them. She was always trying to face her fears. In her present condition, she was afraid all the jerking and dips on the ride would make her physical condition worse.

As Scarlett walked around the carnival, she noticed a clown with a little girl. He was walking her in the direction of the woods. The girl looked up and saw her. It was Tristan.


	182. Chapter 182

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 182 Faster**

From an early age, Scarlett's father taught her that if something didn't make sense, there must be another explanation. It didn't make sense that Elliot Oswald would let a carnival clown take his daughter into the woods.

What made sense was the man was bringing Tristen into the woods to sexually assault her. Worst case, she was wrong and would embarrass herself. She could live with that.

She couldn't live with not doing anything to help the little girl. Scarlett waved at Tristen, but she wasn't sure if she saw her. She wanted her to know that she was going to get her help.

They were about 100 yards away. She would never get to them in time. Even if she could get to Tristen, she didn't have any weapons and her back injury made it impossible for her to fight. She had to find help for Tristen, but there weren't many people around at this part of the carnival. She remembered seeing David Hale over by a hot dog cart that wasn't too far away.

She willed her body to move faster. She took small steps because it hurt less than when she took big steps, but she couldn't worry about that now. She took big steps and ignored the hot jarring pain that went all the way up her spine. The only thing that mattered was getting help to Tristen.

"David," Scarlett shouted when she was about thirty feet away. He had his back to her. She kept walking taking big steps and calling Hale.

Finally he turned around and caught sight of her. He quickly closed the distance between them.

"I saw a clown walking Tristen Oswald into the woods," Scarlett said and pointed. Just then, they saw four more carnival workers head into the woods in the same direction as the clown and Tristen.

"I'm going after her. Tell Jax, I need him and SAMCRO to back me up."

Scarlett nodded.

Hale began running, while Scarlett walked as fast as physically possible for her. Jax and the guys had just gotten off the roller coaster and were joking about who was the most scared Tig or Bobby.

"Jax," she called when she was about ten feet away.

"What's wrong?" he asked as he walked up to her.

She quickly explained the situation to Jax and added that Hale needed Jax and the MC to back him up.

Jax completely changed. When she thought there was a team coming to take her when they were at the lake house, that same change had come over him just before he'd gotten the AK from the kitchen closet's secret panel.

MC Jax was tough with a streak of ruthlessness. He'd get Tristen to safety, but the clown and the other carnival workers could expect an ass kicking at the very least.

Scarlett found this taking care of business side to Jax incredibly sexy. After her father, he was the only man she ever felt would protect her.

Jax quickly brought the MC together and explained the situation. The guys began running for the woods led by Jax. Bobby tried, but it was more of a fast walk.

For a moment her mind went blank until she realized there was one more thing she had to do; she needed to find Elliot Oswald.

When she discovered what was happening to Tristen, she never thought about finding Elliot first to tell him. She had reacted instinctively by going to Hale. Tristen might be his daughter, but Hale, Jax and SAMCRO would be more effective at rescuing her.

She walked around the carnival looking for Elliot. She had slowed her pace to reduce some of the pain. Finding Oswald wasn't as urgent as finding help for Tristen. Finally, she heard Elliot calling for Tristen.

"Scarlett, have you seen Tristen?"

He told her that Tristen insisted she was old enough to go to the snow cone cart alone and he thought it would be OK. When it took too long for her to return, he began looking for her. He hoped that she was looking at some of the carnival merchandise. She had only been out of his sight for a few minutes.

When Scarlett told him about the clown leading his little girl into the woods, the color drained from his face. She told him about the team that had gone into the woods to get her back.

They walked back to the woods quickly. Once again, Scarlett was forcing herself to take excruciatingly big steps to keep up with Elliot.

When her phone rang, it startled her and she jumped.

"It's Jax," Scarlett told Elliot before answering the call.


	183. Chapter 183

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 183 Known**

David Hale knew better than to fall in love with a girl that Jax Teller had his eye on. He'd done it before and it ended in heartbreak.

He'd been in love with Tara, but when she left town, he'd forced himself to face reality and move forward with his life. When he saw Tara for the first since her return, he felt nothing. Not love. Not regret. Not hope for a future with her. Just nothing.

He saw her a few times just to make sure that he was really over her. He was over her and she was not over Jax. She didn't tell him, but he could tell by the expression in her eyes when she talked about him.

After spending Friday night with Scarlett, he was thinking about risking heartbreak. She was more law and order than outlaw biker old lady. She was smart; she might actually figure out that any future with Jax would involve him getting killed or getting locked up.

She even told him that she loved having someone to talk to about film noir. It was both their favorite type of film. They had a lot in common. He might have a good chance at taking her from Jax.

When she came up to him at the carnival, he'd been surprised because he'd seen her with Jax earlier. After she told him about Tristen Oswald, he regretted forgetting his off duty weapon at home, but he wasn't worried. He could handle a clown on his own.

As Scarlett pointed to where Tristen was taken into the woods, they saw four carnival workers walk into the woods behind them. He couldn't handle this on his own. He had no choice; he had to get SAMCRO and Jax's help.

He didn't hesitate about getting them involved. Time was the biggest factor and he knew he could count on Jax and SAMCRO. They wouldn't hesitate to help stop the rape of a child. Clay would love the good publicity for the club.

The only drawback was the MC wasn't as disciplined when it came to dealing with criminals. They would give the men an ass kicking they would never forget. He was OK with some unnecessary force being used against some child rapists. His only goal was to keep SAMCRO from killing any of the men.

He was going to do everything in his power to delay the sexual assault of the little girl until Jax and SAMCRO could back him up.

As he ran into the woods, he just hoped he could get there in time.


	184. Chapter 184

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 184 Love**

Jax knew there was something really wrong the second he saw Scarlett after getting off the roller coaster. The color had drained completely from her face and he could see the fear in her eyes. She hadn't looked that scared when she thought a team sent by her psycho ex was coming to kidnap her from the lake house.

After Scarlett quickly told him about Tristen, he immediately gathered the guys together, explained the situation and outlined his plan.

The men were fired up. It was SAMCRO's job to protect Charming's residents. Beating the shit out of some carnival workers who were trying to rape a child was as good as it got for them. This was the MC at its best; they were fighting together just like brothers.

Jax knew that Clay would be unhappy that he wasn't included, but Jax didn't want to take the time to find him. The only thing that mattered was getting to Tristen as soon as possible before she was assaulted. Jax didn't want to imagine how horrible it would be if they couldn't save her in time. They ran into the woods with Jax in the lead and Bobby bringing up the rear.

Jax had been clear. The priority was to find Tristen and get her to safety and then the ass kicking could begin. Men who raped kids deserved no mercy and would get none from SAMCRO.

Two of the carny workers were fighting with Hale. The clown wearing a white clown suit with big orange polka dots was on top of Tristen ripping at her clothes in a frenzy.

The last two workers were watching the clown and Tristen while fondling themselves. Jax pulled the clown off Tristen. He had been holding a knife to the little girl's neck. A drop of blood dripped from it as he tried to stab Jax.

"Prospect, take care of Tristen," Jax ordered. "Protect her with your life."

"You got it," he replied. "My name is Kip," he told Tristen. "I won't let anything happen to you. I'm your guard."

Half-Sack gently helped Tristen up from the ground and led her away from the battlefield. She'd had enough trauma for the day.

Now it was time to fight. Tig, Juice and Chibs took on the two men who wanted to watch their clown buddy rape Tristen before they were able to stuff themselves back into their jeans.

They kicked the two men hard sending them crashing to the ground. The men were frantically trying to get their now limp dicks into their jeans before the next round of blows.

Time was not their friend. They couldn't get themselves back into their jeans before the next round of kicks to the balls. They finally gave up, curled into fetal positions to protect their faces and dicks and wait for it to be over.

Hale had been fighting two men. His martial arts skills had kept him from getting stuck by the knives the men were waving around, but he'd taken a couple of blows to the face. Bobby took the knife he carried on his belt just like all the members of the MC and, working with Hale, he stuck them until they laid on the ground and were still. They were alive; they were just no longer enthusiastic about fighting.

The clown was left for Jax. Jax took out his knife. He had the biggest knife in the MC, of course. The clown quickly discovered that fighting in a oversized clown suit wasn't easy. He got tripped up in all the fabric as he lunged at Jax with his knife.

Jax easily pivoted away from the blade while driving his own knife into the clown's big fat stomach. The clown grunted and collapsed falling heavily to the ground. Jax stuck the clown with a few more shallow knife thrusts before kicking him in the ribs finally finishing the clown's beat down with a couple of hard crotch kicks.

"Chibs, come over and make sure this clown doesn't get up. I want to check on Tristen."

"You got it, brother," Chibs said.

Half-Sack had taken Tristen a short distance away. She was pale, her Frozen pants and matching top were torn and dirty, but she wasn't crying. She was laughing at something Half-Sack said.

"Are you OK?"

She nodded.

"The angel lady, Scarlett sent you," Tristen said.

"Yeah, she did."

"She sent a army. What happened to the bad men?"

"We hurt them," Jax said.

"Good. What happened to the clown?"

"I hurt him extra."

She stared at the blood on Jax's shirt, looked at him and then nodded.

"He was ripping my clothes. He cut me."

She pointed at the small cut in her neck.

"He's a very bad man," Jax said, unable to come up with anything else to say.

If Hale weren't around, the clown wouldn't be a very bad man any more. He would be a dead man.

At five, she was too young to understand what was really going on. She just knew a bad man was on top of her and ripping her clothes.

"We're going to get you back to your daddy in just a few minutes."

"What's going to happen to the bad men?"

"They are going to jail."

She nodded again.

"Keep watch over her and I'll be back."

Jax walked over to where Hale and Bobby were watching over their two carnival workers who were still lying on the ground.

"I need to talk to you," Jax said to Hale. "Juice, come over and back up Bobby in case one of these pieces of shit tries to get up."

Jax and Hale walked away from the group.

"I need to talk to you about Scarlett."


	185. Chapter 185

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 185 Competition**

Hale saw Jax last night on his bike as he was walking with Scarlett to her room. He thought he must be talking about this incident, but he wasn't sure.

"What about Scarlett?" Hale asked.

"How much has she told you about her past?"

"Not much," Hale replied. He was keeping his guard up.

"She has a psycho ex that isn't just stalking her; he wants to find, kidnap and torture her."

Hale shook his head. He had no idea that Scarlett was living with this kind of nightmare.

"I didn't know."

"We need to keep her name and picture out of this story."

"OK," Hale said.

He ran his hand over his chin as he thought about a story to keep Scarlett's identity secret. He didn't have a problem lying about how he got the information about Tristen. Scarlett deserved to be protected.

"I overheard a couple of carnival goers talking about seeing a clown taking a little girl into the woods. It sounded suspicious, so I decided to check it out."

"That's good. I'm going to say that after a ride on the roller coaster, a friend of the club came up to me and told me that a bunch of men were taking a little girl into the woods. One of the men had his hand over the girl's mouth to keep her from screaming."

"I like that. The information is a little wrong, which is exactly how it happens in real life," Hale said. "People embellish and get details wrong."

"I'll talk to Oswald about getting Tristen to keep Scarlett's identity secret."

"That should keep Scarlett safe."

"We also need to figure out a way to get Tristen out of here without being seen."

"Within ten minutes of my calling it in, there will be a flood of deputies and paramedics. We need to get her away quickly."

"Remember that old dirt road we used to ride our dirt bikes on?"

"Yeah."

When he was in junior high, he, Jax and Opie would ride dirt bikes on the dirt road that separated the developer's land that couldn't be developed from Oswald's land of pristine woods.

"I'll bring her out to the road and Oswald can pick her up from there."

"Is she going to be OK with you?"

"I know her a little. She's a smart kid. She knows we're the good guys and we hurt the bad men."

"If only it were that simple."

"Yeah," Jax said drily. "I'll get Oswald to bring Scarlett with him. She needs to be away from here when it gets crowded."

"Are you two still going to her friend's cabin this weekend?"

Hale wanted Jax to know that while he might not have known about Scarlett's psycho ex, he still knew some things about her. He watched with pleasure as surprise spread across Jax's face.

"We are."

"Good. That will help put some distance between her and this."

"I'm going to call Scarlett tell her what's happened and get her to find Oswald."

"I bet she's already found Oswald."

"You are probably right," Jax said. "She's a smart girl."

"Thanks for the back-up today and especially thanks for not killing anyone."

"Not killing anyone was the tricky part. Those pieces of shit don't deserve to live."

"I agree. I hope those bastards go away for the rest of their lives."

"I bet they all have priors and are violating their probation."

"And are convicted sex offenders," Hale added. "One last thing. About Scarlett."

"What about Scarlett?"

"She's going to be mine."

"May the better man win," Jax said.

Hale thought Jax sounded a little worried. Maybe he really did have a chance with the beautiful and charming Scarlett.

"It took a lot of discipline.


	186. Chapter 186

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 186 Oswald**

Within seconds, Elliot Oswald experienced the worst minutes of his life followed by the best minutes of his life. Tristen had been saved before . . . He just couldn't even think about the horrors that those men were going to inflict on his little girl. He was so thankful that they had gotten to her in time.

Once Jax told Scarlett that Tristen was OK, Scarlett handed her phone to him.

"She's really OK?" he asked.

"She is better than OK. The prospect was telling her silly kid jokes and she was laughing. She's a strong little girl."

"I can never thank you enough."

"Just another day of fun handing out beat downs to low life pedophiles," Jax said. "There is going to be a lot of deputies and paramedics here soon. Hale and I agreed it would be best for Tristen to avoid that. I'll bring her to you through the woods to that place on the dirt road where there's the hill and the dip."

"I know the place."

"Bring Scarlett with you. I'll see you in a few minutes."

"Thanks, Jax."

Elliot told Scarlett the plan to bring Tristen to him through the woods. They began to walk through the carnival to get to the parking lot. In his haste to get to his SUV, he had left Scarlett somewhere in the carnival.

He remembered that she had told Tristen that she hurt her back. She did seem to struggle walking. He waited for her to catch up to him.

"I'm sorry," Elliot said. "I forgot about your back injury."

"It's frustrating, but I'm lucky. I can get better. It's just going to take some time."

"Why don't I go get my SUV and I'll pick you up at the entrance?"

"Thanks. That would be a big help."

Elliot hurried away. He just couldn't get to his daughter fast enough. From his conversation with Jax, he knew that Tristen seemed her normal self because she had no idea what the clown and his friends were going to do to her. One day when she was older, she would understand, but she was still far too young for him to explain it to her. He gave thanks for that.

He had just brought the SUV to the entrance when Scarlett appeared. She climbed into the front passenger's seat and he drove to the dirt road.

"Thank you for saving Tristen."

"Jax, the MC and David Hale did the hard part. They put themselves at risk."

"You saw what was happening and did something about it. How did you know?"

"If I hadn't met her, I might have just thought it was a guy with his kid. When I realized it was Tristen, I knew something was wrong. I had seen David Hale nearby, so I told him. We saw four more guys follow them into the woods. David told me to get Jax and SAMCRO. He went into the woods outnumbered. That was brave."

"I think she really did have an angel watching out for her.

He drove down the dirt road until he reached the hill with the dip that Jax had described. They got out and waited.

They heard Jax and Tristen coming before they saw them. In her high, little girl voice she was singing "The Itsy, Bitsy Spider" she was even doing the hand gestures that went with the song while she was riding on Jax's shoulders.

Elliot shut his eyes and once again gave thanks that his little girl was safe.

Upcoming Chapters

The relationship games begin.


	187. Chapter 187

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 187 Proud**

Scarlett smiled as she watched Jax with little Tristen on his shoulders walk out of the woods. The little girl seemed to be enjoying herself like she was on a ride at Disneyland.

Jax bent down so Elliot could lift his daughter from his shoulders.

"Will you let me ride on your shoulders, daddy?"

"Tonight," Elliot promised, hugging her fiercely.

Scarlett looked at Jax and noticed the blood all over his shirt. The color left her face.

"Not mine," Jax said softly.

She shut her eyes and gave thanks that Jax was OK.

"I want to hug Scarlett," Tristen said when her father finally finished hugging her.

Elliot lifted Tristen up so she could hug Scarlett face to face.

"I knew you would save me," she said. "You waved at me."

Scarlett kissed the little girl's cheek.

"That's exactly why I waved at you. I wanted you to know I was getting you help."

Elliot returned Tristen to her feet.

"Angel Scarlett sent a whole army," she told her father. She looked down at her filthy and torn Frozen shirt and pants. "The clown ruined my Frozen clothes." Her eyes began to fill with tears.

"It's OK. You were getting too big for them anyway. We'll go get you new ones."

She hugged her father.

"I need to talk to the two of you for a minute," Jax said.

Elliot walked Tristen to the car and helped her into the back seat.

"Is everyone OK?"

"Depends on what you mean by everyone," Jax said with a smile. "The bad guys are all going to the hospital. Hale took the worst beating, but everyone else has typical battle injuries."

"The cut over your eye and the damage to your hands?"

"You can't fight without getting some damage," Jax said, shrugging off his injuries.

Elliot returned.

"I told Hale about your stalker situation because we need to keep your name out of this," Jax said.

"I didn't even think of that," she admitted.

She had been so focused on getting help for Tristen that she hadn't given any thought to what helping Tristen could mean for her.

"We have to keep Scarlett's name out of this or some reporter will try to find her and if a picture of her appears on the internet . . ."

"My psycho ex will know where I am. He'll come here, kidnap, torture and kill me," Scarlett said finishing Jax's sentence.

"Hale is on board, the MC too," Jax added.

"I'll talk to Tristen."

"It's got to be more than keeping her name secret. A reporter will try to find out the name. We need to keep Scarlett completely out of it. Tristen can say she has a guardian angel who helped her. Everyone will think this is just a little girl's imagination."

"OK. I can do that. Anything to help. Without the two of you . . ." Elliot broke off, continuing to be overcome with emotion when he thought of what might have happened to his daughter if Scarlett hadn't found help for her.  
"Thanks, Elliot," Scarlett said.

"It's the least I can do."

"I need a moment with Scarlett before I go back to my guys."

"Of course," Elliot said. He returned to his SUV.

"Thank you for protecting my identity."

Jax hugged Scarlett hard.

"Sorry," he said loosening his hold on her. "Did I hurt you?"

"Yes, but I enjoyed it," she said.

He chuckled.

"I am so damned proud of you."

"I don't think anyone other than my dad has ever been proud of me before," she said.

He kissed her lightly on the lips.

"You are amazing."

Scarlett stroked his cheek with her fingertips.

"I was so scared until I found you. When I told you about Tristen, you switched into hero mode and I knew you would save her."

Jax pulled her close to his heart and held her for a long moment.

"Get Elliot to bring you to your motel. As soon as the deputies get here, I'll pick you up and we'll get out of town."

Scarlett kissed Jax's cheek and watched as he jogged into the woods.

"I think he's your boyfriend," Tristen said when Scarlett got into the car.

"Maybe," Scarlett said, a wistful note in her voice.


	188. Chapter 188

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 188 Mayhem**

Jax checked in with each member of SAMCRO to make sure that everything was OK. The clown and carnival workers remained on the ground, moaning in pain and bleeding.

"Prospect," Jax called out. "Come here."

Jax scowled at him before smiling. He always liked to mess with the prospects.

"Good job with the girl. For your reward, go punch the clown a couple of times."

"Thanks," he said eagerly. He rushed off to follow orders.

The men could hear the sound of fists hitting a body and groaning from the clown. Half-Sack enjoyed himself, the clown not so much.

Jax could still feel the rush of adrenalin and the thrill from the battle. This was going to go down as one of the best days ever for SAMCRO. He took a certain relish that it had all happened without Clay and he had been the one leading the MC.

Jax called Clay, but he was prevented from joining SAMCRO in the woods by the newly arriving sheriff's deputies. They were setting up a perimeter.

Once the deputies took charge of the clown and carnival workers, Jax gathered the MC together. He explained the story they were going to tell about why they were in the woods. He emphasized that _no one's_ name was to ever be mentioned to anyone. They all nodded that they understood.

The men were stunned by everything that had gone on while they were in the woods. Rumors about something happening in the woods had drawn most of the carnival goers. Not much happened in Charming, so this was a big deal. Something exciting might have happened in their boring little town. Rumors varied wildly from satanic rituals in the woods to a Big Foot sighting.

As they walked out together, the carnival attendees bombarded the men of SAMCRO with questions. Jax decided it would be better to get the story out now when he could control the narrative. He held his hands up to quiet the people. Tig whistled loudly. The crowd became silent.

"We were enjoying a day at the carnival when a friend of the club told me a child, a local child, had been taken into the woods by a clown and some carnival workers. We thought we better check it out," Jax paused to think through how he was going to phrase this next part. "We got to the child just in time to prevent a sexual assault. After some fighting, we were able to subdue the men. The child has been reunited with a parent. We also discovered Acting Police Chief David Hale had entered the woods after hearing a similar rumor."

There was a brief moment when everyone thought about the information Jax had given them. The crowd erupted in cheers. It was official. They were heroes.

Jax got a brief look at Clay's face before he was swallowed up by the crowd congratulating him. It was a mix of envy and pride. The MC could always use good press even when it was a result of his stepson's efforts.

A few minutes later, paramedics brought out the clown on a gurney. The deputies tried to push the crowd back so the paramedics had room to walk. The crowd didn't like it and they didn't like the clown who had tried to rape a child.

No one was sure whether it started by a deputy pushing a Charming resident out of the paramedics' way or if a deputy shoved a resident who wanted to hit the clown, but it dissolved into mayhem and anarchy.


	189. Chapter 189

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 189 Tristen**

 **Author's Note:** _I wanted to do a sort of wrap up of Tristen's storyline. While she wasn't sexually assaulted, that event changed her life._

 ** _I posted this earlier and realized I had made a major mistake when I wrote the section about Jax's son. The timing was wrong. I don't know why-no I know why-my brain is fried-I didn't catch this earlier. I deleted the chapter and this is the repost. It's all fixed. That's the beauty about writing; you just delete or rewrite something. No one dies or gets hurt. SORRY._**

Tristen thought of the carnival with happy memories. The bad clown had tried to steal her Frozen clothes, but then the Angel, as her father taught her to think of Scarlett, sent an army to save her.

Jax pulled the bad man off her and another younger guy helped her up and said he was guarding her. They walked a short distance away. He hadn't wanted her to see the fighting so he had her stand with her back turned, but she'd gotten a couple of peeks. He told her funny jokes.

When Jax took her to her father, he gave her a ride on his shoulders. It was the first time she'd ever gotten to do that. That had been more fun than any carnival ride. He made car sounds and they played a game. He would say a letter, she would sing the alphabet song starting with that letter and then she would say a letter and Jax would sing the song. That had been a fun game. Jax was really good at the alphabet song.

She didn't understand why her father had tears in his eyes when he saw her. He couldn't have been that upset about her clothes getting torn.

It wasn't until she was older and learned about sex that the truth about the carnival hit her. That was when her carnival memories went from happy to frightening because she understood what the clown was really trying to do to her.

He wasn't trying to take her Frozen clothes because he wanted them. He wanted her naked before he had sex with her. He wasn't just going to rape her. He and his friends were going to take turns with her.

When she thought about that day when she was older, she was always struck by how many things had to happen at just the right time or she would have been raped and probably killed. At the time, she accepted her father telling her to say an angel helped her and not use Scarlett's name. Her father explained to her when she was older that he had done this to protect Scarlett.

It always came back to Scarlett. She was the key. If she hadn't met her earlier, Scarlett might not have realized that the clown was kidnapping her. David Hale was nearby and she went to him instead of trying to find her father. They saw the other men walk into the woods. If they hadn't seen that, David Hale wouldn't have instructed her to ask Jax and SAMCRO for help. If Jax and SAMCRO hadn't come to her rescue, she and David Hale might have both been killed.

Jax had tried to minimize the bad experience by giving her a good memory—the ride on his shoulders and the alphabet game—to replace the one with the clown on top of her tearing at her clothes. He had treated her with such care and gentleness.

More time would pass before she realized that she owed a lot to David Hale. He had been a true hero because he risked his life to delay the men from raping her. He could have waited for SAMCRO before entering the woods. When she was sixteen and got her driver's license she had driven to Charming PD and thanked him. It had been something she wanted to do for a long time, but it wasn't easy to talk about that day once she realized what the men were really going to do to her.

That became another turning point in her life because she met his son, Dan when she was at the police department. He had just moved to Charming after the death of his mother. She had been a college girlfriend of David's who got pregnant and didn't tell him. She wanted to raise the baby on her own and didn't want to have to go through visitation schedules, co-parenting and court fights.

Six months after first complaining to her doctor about bad headaches, she was dead from an inoperable brain tumor. A month before her death, she had contacted David to reveal they had a fifteen year old son and she wanted him to raise him after her death.

There's a misconception about living in a small town that everyone knows everyone. Everyone typically knows something about that person, but may have never met the person. She didn't meet Jared until a few months after meeting Dan.

She knew all about Jared, but she didn't meet him until her junior year in high school. He'd been dropped off at the clubhouse one day when he was ten. There was a letter that explained that his mother was tired of motherhood and a boy should be raised by his father. She claimed the father was a member of SAMCRO. She listed all the guys who might be the father. Fifteen paternity tests later and Jax Teller was named the father.

Tristen was torn between Dan and Jared. She always felt that it had something to do with what happened to her at the carnival and her feelings for the two men that had saved her that day. It seemed natural that she would have feelings for their sons. The lawman's son or the outlaw's son. Which one?

It had felt like an impossible choice, so when she went to college, she left town. She made a choice by picking neither.

Ten years later, she returned to Charming to live because she knew who she wanted to spend the rest of her life.

Getting him back wouldn't be easy, but she had a belief that her fate was with him. He was her destiny.

 _Upcoming Chapters: A balance of power shift, relationship games and Scarlett will suffer the biggest humiliation and embarrassment of her life. Of course, you know who was there when it happened._


	190. Chapter 190

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 190 Jealousy**

The residents were angry that these men came into their community and tried to rape one of their children. The sheriff's deputies tried to hold back the crowd, but these officers weren't from Charming. They were outsiders too and they got no respect from the town's citizens.

The paramedics dodged spit aimed at their patients, the deputies tried to keep the five alleged attempted rapists from getting beaten on the way to the ambulances while carnival workers were fleeing afraid they might get locked up too. It was the greatest incident of anarchy in Charming's history and Clay Morrow had no part in it. He was plenty pissed off about it too.

He got that Jax had had to act quickly to rescue Oswald's kid before she got raped, but he would have preferred it for the kid to have gotten raped some if he could have been the one leading SAMCRO into the woods and into the battle.

One of the MC's greatest moments and he was not leading his club. Jax had been leading SAMCRO. The bitter taste of that would not leave his mouth for a long time.

The guys were gathered around Jax like he was some kind of hero. He didn't like it. He didn't want Jax getting ideas in his head about pushing him out as president. Jax's time as president would come when he was damned ready to leave and not a second sooner.

There might be an even greater danger to him than Jax getting ideas into his pretty head. That piece of blonde pussy he was with worried him. Jax rarely had a girl for more than a night or two. He would get tired of her and move on otherwise, he just might have to kill her. She just reminded him too damned much of the child that saw him kill her mother.


	191. Chapter 191

9

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 191 Intention**

As soon as Elliot dropped her off at her hotel she carefully lowered herself to her bed and called her father. She needed to hear his voice and she needed him to talk her back to sanity.

Preventing the attack on Tristen had caused her to have a big emotional flashback to the time when her mother was fighting SAMCLO. She hadn't always been proud of her mother for breaking up SAMCLO's child sex trafficking ring because she had been bitter that her mother hadn't thought about her.

Eden had been beautiful, charming, smart, but fatally naïve. She believed that SOA would denounce the Laredo charter. How could anyone defend forcing little boys and girls into prostitution? She hadn't factored in that Sons of Anarchy was a brotherhood and that meant unconditional love even for the chapter that sold kids for sex.

Her mother believed SAMCLO would be in such disarray after the entire chapter was arrested that they wouldn't have the power to hurt her or her daughter. She had been right about the disarray, but she had failed to take into account the fact that SAMCLO was part of the Sons of Anarchy and they would take care of the betrayal. Her mother had actually thought Clay was coming to see her to talk about getting to know his daughter.

There was an impulsive side to Scarlett and she needed her father to talk her down a little. She was afraid she might ask Jax how SAMCRO could battle a child rapist while less than two decades ago, it supported their Laredo chapter when it sex trafficked kids. This would be a foolish and dangerous mistake, but her ability to control her behavior wasn't at its best when her pain level was high.

She had made her injured back worse by walking quickly to get David Hale and Jax to rescue Tristen. Saving Tristen was more important than a temporary increase to her pain level. It hadn't even been a choice for her.

Her higher pain level though was bringing out her reckless side that didn't care what happened to her. That's why she was worried she might give in to the urge to ask Jax how the SOA could support a chapter that sex trafficked children.

Seeing her bio dad hadn't helped either. He scared the hell out of her. She couldn't help it. All she could think of was seeing him squeeze the life out of her mother, chasing her and almost catching her. She hadn't expected him to recognize her, but he wouldn't have asked her about Texas if he didn't think he knew her.

During her call to her father, he listened to her, told her how proud he was of her for saving the little girl and reminded her she could do anything when she put her mind to it.

"How are things going with Jax?"

"Fine. He realized that my helping Tristen could lead to media attention. He and David worked out stories to keep my identity secret."

"I like that guy. He can think fast and well."

Scarlett laughed.

"It wouldn't help much if he thinks fast and screws up," she said.

"I like knowing that he's with you. How was your evening with David Hale."

"Not as boring as I expected, but still boring."

"That's the problem with boring," her father said with a laugh. "It's safer, but do you really want to sleepwalk through your life?"

"I could use less excitement. He's really nice and I enjoyed the evening, but . . ." Scarlett broke off.

"He isn't Jax," her father finished her sentence.

"Yeah," Scarlett said woefully.

"I keep telling you that there is nothing wrong with having feelings. It's about time for you to fall in love."

"And get my heart broken."

"Scarlett, sweetheart, do you think that getting your heart broken will hurt any more than all the pain you've already experienced? You are a strong girl. You can handle heartbreak. There's also the possibility that he won't break your heart."

"Relationships always end. Even when they work out, sooner or later, it ends. Someone will die. Unless I die first, there will be heartbreak."

"I don't regret for a second that your mom and I fell in love. If I'd never fallen in love with her, I wouldn't have you. The good times and love I had with her made the heartbreak worth it. Having you for my daughter also made it worth every second of pain."

"I don't want to fall in love with Jax."

"Love doesn't work like that. You don't decide to fall in love with someone. It just happens. You can't control some things in your life."

"And that's exactly one of the worst things about it."

Her father laughed.

"Sweetheart, you can't control everything. You need to enjoy your life and if that means enjoying falling in love with someone, that's OK. If you want a nice safe life, you can have a nice safe relationship with David Hale."

"Or have my own life with myself."

"There's nothing wrong with being alone, but I'm not alone and neither are you because we have each other."

"You need to stop trying to shove me into Jax's arms."

"I like him. He was willing to risk his life for you when he thought you were going to be kidnapped. He's a brave guy. There aren't a lot of men like that these days. Most men now are a bunch of whiny little snowflakes."

Scarlett wrapped her arm around her waist as she laughed.

"I can't imagine Jax Teller asking for a safe space or an emotional support animal," she said when she quit laughing. "I still have a suspicion you did the whole thing as a test."

"I didn't, but I can't say I'm sorry it happened. I like knowing that there's someone who can look after you."

"Modern women look after themselves."

"I've raised you to look after yourself, but that doesn't mean that you can't have someone with you while you do it."

"Just you wait," Scarlett threatened, "I'm going to look for a woman for you."

"Good. I trust your judgment."

"Even _I_ don't trust my judgment."

"You are too hard on yourself. Enjoy your life and quit trying to be perfect. You did a really good thing today and you used great judgment. How many people saw Tristen with the clown and just ignored it? You got that child rescued. Without you, that little girl's life would have become a life long nightmare _and_ you saved her father from having to help his little girl live with that kind of trauma. You did more good than you will ever know."

"I did what you taught me about paying attention and looking at things to see if they made sense."

"What is really wrong?"

"Meeting Clay was a lot worse than I thought. I was so scared I thought I was going to fall apart. I covered it up by saying he reminded me of a scary teacher I'd had, but I don't think he bought it. He asked me if I'd ever been to Texas."

"That's bad."

"It's worse because I told Jax that I'd lived in Texas. I lied and said I'd never been to Texas except to change planes."

"Did Jax contradict you?"

"No, but I know he remembered what I'd told him about Texas."

"Clay can't know for sure that you are the little girl. He sees a resemblance. We need to come up with a way to prove to him that you aren't that little girl."

"How can we do that?"

"Let me handle it. I will figure out a way to prove that you aren't that little girl. Don't worry. I've got this."

Scarlett trusted her father. If he said he would figure a way to prove to Clay that she wasn't the little girl that saw him commit capital murder, he would find a way. He was smart. She could rely on him.

"Thanks, dad. I love you."

"I love you too, sweetheart," he said.

They ended the phone call. Scarlett waited for Jax to pick her up. He'd sent her a text earlier that he needed to go to the clubhouse with the guys for a beer before he could pick her up.

She understood that he needed this bonding moment with his club. It wasn't every day that the men of SAMCRO got to break up a gang rape of a child. It was worth celebrating. They had earned it.

Her back was stiffening. She decided to temporarily surrender to the pain by taking three painkillers and three muscle relaxers. Killing her pain would help her rein in that reckless side of her personality too.

Just as the medications kicked in, Jax pulled up in her car. She left her room and got into her car gritting her teeth as she struggled to get into low slung sports car. Even with muscle relaxers, it was difficult.

"Let me help you," Jax said.

"I've got it," she said.

"The guys are still excited from the fight and everything that happened after."

"What happened after?"

"Kiss first," he said, his voice husky.

He leaned over and kissed her long, slow, sweet and tender. Scarlett knew she was lucky she was sitting down because he was turning her insides to jelly and her legs would have buckled under her if she'd been standing.

She'd been kissed before, of course, but no one had ever kissed her like Jax. Her heart felt like it was going to beat out of her chest. If a kiss could do this to her, what would sex be like? Dangerous. It would be dangerous in more ways than one and she wasn't thinking about pregnancy and STDs.

Jax pulled away, looked deeply into her eyes and smiled at her.

"You mean everything to me," he said softly.

She kissed his cheek, not trusting herself to speak because she was afraid she would say something stupid. Her father's words about Jax were weighing heavily on her mind. She wasn't ready to surrender her heart to Jax yet. Her brain still thought it could control her emotions. Foolish Scarlett and foolish Scarlett's brain.

They drove in silence until they hit the outskirts of town.

"What happened after?" she prompted.

"A lot of the people were standing around by the woods because the deputies were creating a perimeter and everyone wanted to know why. When we walked out of the woods, the deputies were holding the people back. I told them briefly that a friend of the club told me about a group of men taking a local child into the woods. We checked it out and we prevented a child from being raped."

"Just another day in the life of an outlaw MC," Scarlett teased him.

"SAMCRO takes the protection of the city seriously. We can do things the police can't or won't. That's why Hale asked us to back him up. It would have taken too long to get the county to the carnival and he knew the MC wouldn't have a problem walking into a fight."

"You saved him and Tristen."

"It's a bitter pill for Hale to swallow. He wants the police department to run Charming. He doesn't understand that law enforcement has too many limits to be effective at solving some problems."

"What else happened?"

"My little speech didn't work out so well for the rapists," Jax said, grinning, "because I finished about the time the clown was being wheeled out on a gurney. The crowd tried to beat him. They spit on him and they weren't happy that the deputies were trying to keep them from hurting the other guys.

"Charming has a hate hate relationship with the county. In emergencies, Charming needs the county for back-up, but the citizens are always afraid that the county will take over the local police department. If Hale had been there, he might have been able to control the crowd, but most of Charming doesn't respect the deputies. Sees them as an enemy.

"While there's a skirmish between the deputies and the citizens who want to express their displeasure with the rapists, the other carnival workers are freaking out. They just know carnival workers are getting arrested. Some are just fleeing leaving their booths and prizes behind. People started stealing the prizes and even the booths."

"Didn't the deputies try to stop it?"

"Not really. It was such a mess; they kind of gave up. SAMCRO confiscated the prizes and the booths. Gemma can use them for her school charity event, so it's a win for the town and the schools."

"Didn't the county deputies arrest the people?"

"Lucky for everyone, the deputies had enough experience with Charming's residents that they didn't make that mistake. It would have triggered a full scale battle."

"Is SAMCRO OK with keeping my name out of everything?"

"They think more of you because you don't want any publicity. That brings greater focus on the MC. You don't need to worry. They won't mention Tristen's name or yours. Hale will do whatever he can to keep Tristen's name confidential within the confines of the law, of course.

"Oswald will use his influence as well. He won't let Tristen talk to anyone alone and he'll make sure she keeps your name out of it. He gets that he needs to protect your identity. For a multimillionaire, he's a very decent guy. Honorable. He would go to his grave before he would reveal your identity."

"I hadn't even thought about anyone finding me because I helped Tristen."

"You were focused on her."

"I did worry about you and the guys too."

"So, tell me, how do you know Clay?"

The question slipped into their conversation about Tristen caught her by surprise. She suspected that was Jax's intention. Maybe that whole business with kissing her was also part of a plan to throw her off balance.

Author's Note: A longer chapter. I have to confess as the chapter got longer and longer, I got itchy and scared. I resisted the urge to end it and just wrote the chapter.

Next Up: Meow.


	192. Chapter 192

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 192 Meow!**

Tara didn't mind when Elliot Oswald called her and asked if she could stop by his house and take a look at Tristen. He had an educational foundation that helped kids from Charming go to college. She had been one of the teens that he helped. She and Elliot were still friendly, exchanging Christmas cards with brief notes every year.

Tristen was eating an ice cream come sitting in a bean bag chair watching cartoons still in her dirty and torn clothes. She hadn't been expecting to see his daughter like that.

He took Tara into the kitchen, still close enough for him to keep an eye on Tristen but far away enough that she couldn't hear the conversation. He explained what happened keeping Scarlett's name out of it. He wanted Tara to document her injuries. That's why he kept Tristen in the same clothes and hadn't given her a bath yet.

Tara carefully examined Tristen being very tactful and gentle. She photographed each scrape and bruise before she cleaned them. When she discovered the small cut to Tristen's neck where the clown had held a knife to her throat, all the color drained from Elliot's face.

Tristen told Tara she knew that she was going to be saved because she saw angel scarlett wave at her. As soon as she said "scarlett", she put her fingers over her mouth and looked at her father. She realized she'd made a mistake by saying scarlett.

"It's OK," her father assured her. "I've started a bath for you. When you get ready for your bath, just put everything you are wearing including your underwear and shoes in this trash bag and we'll get you all new stuff."

He handed her a large white trash bag.

"Wow, all new stuff! I don't know why the clown didn't get his own Frozen clothes instead of trying to take mine."

Tristen left them and went upstairs to her bath.

"I need you to forget that Tristen mentioned Scarlett's name."

"OK."

Now why would Scarlett not want any credit for saving Tristen from a gang of child rapists, Tara wondered. Most people would be proud and eager to get some recognition.

"Scarlett is just very shy and she doesn't want to be deluged with media attention if this story happens to go viral."

"Sure, I won't same anything. It's covered under doctor/patient confidentiality. How did Scarlett know what was happeneing?"

"She met Tristen earlier and when she saw her later being taken into the woods by a clown, she realized something was wrong. It all happened in just a couple of minutes."

"So, SAMCRO saves the day," Tara said with a smile.

"They did. Jax grabbed the clown before . . . uh . . . anything more could happen. I'm sure they beat the guys."

"You can bet on that," Tara said chuckling. "I'm sure all attackers needed stitches by the time the MC was done with them."

"Tristen's favorite book has an angel in it that looks a lot like Scarlett. That's why she's saying an angel helped her. She says her angel sent a whole army to rescue her," Elliot said, his love for his feisty, amazing little daughter warming his voice.

"One thing about the MC, they can be counted on when violence is needed."

"I'm grateful they were nearby when they were needed."

"That was some fast thinking on Scarlett's part. Do you think that she and Jax are . . . close? I can handle the truth."

"I think he's . . ." Elliot paused searching for the right word, "smitten with her."

"Oh," Tara said, unable to come up with anything more profound to say.

"You may need to think about moving on."

"It's that obvious?"

"I've known you for a long time. Thanks for coming over to help with Tristen."

"Anytime you need me, call. Tristen's a great little girl and don't worry about me telling anyone about Scarlett."

"Thanks, Tara."

Tara had known since elementary school that life wasn't fair, but sometimes it didn't need to slap her in the face quite so hard. She got it. Life wasn't fair.

It wasn't enough that Scarlett was beautiful. She was also a hero. She saved little Tristen from being raped and made SAMCRO into heroes in the process. How the hell could she compete with that?

Scarlett wasn't as empty-headed as she hoped. She had actually had to think fast to get Tristen rescued. How many people saw Tristen with the clown and just ignored it? She couldn't even take comfort in the fact that she was smarter than Scarlett. Scarlett was plenty smart when it was needed.

Why the hell had she asked Elliot's opinion of Jax and Scarlett? She had been hoping that he would say something comforting and give her hope that she was misinterpreting what was going on between Jax and Scarlett. She wanted him to say that it was all platonic, but she could practically feel the sexual chemistry between Jax and Scarlett when she was around them.

Smitten was a good way to describe Jax. He looked at Scarlett like she was the best present he'd ever received. He had never even looked at her like that when they were at their best.

Why did she have to be so fucking perfect? Why did she have to come to Charming? Why couldn't Jax just get tired of Scarlett and realize he still loves her?

Scarlett had to have some weakness. Everyone had an Achilles heel. She needed to find Scarlett's. Maybe it had to do with her desire not to have any attention drawn to her for saving Tristen. In this self-involved, appearances on social media are the new reality, but not true reality, could Scarlett really just prefer to stay anonymous? Maybe Scarlett was hiding something.

Charming was a place that people came to escape murky pasts. She wouldn't be the first person who came to the town to start a new life. If she could uncover what it was that Scarlett was hiding, that might give her leverage to get Scarlett to leave town.

There was just one problem; Jax couldn't find out what she was up to or that could destroy her chances with him. She would just have to be very careful.

Next Chapter: Gaming


	193. Chapter 193

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 193 Shock**

Jax knew that if he wanted some truth from Scarlett about Clay, he would have to catch her off balance. When Clay told her that she looked familiar and mentioned Texas, he was surprised. Did he meet Scarlett in Texas or had she mentioned living in Texas and he remembered that?

Clay had a lousy memory when it came to names, but he was great at remembering faces. If Clay thought she looked familiar, Jax needed to pay attention because Clay had probably met Scarlett somewhere.

"I don't know Clay."

Jax switched up his tactics, still determined to find the truth.

"Look, I know you lead a dangerous life. I know that means you can't be completely honest with me, but we need to come to some kind of agreement. If we can't tell each other something because the information might be dangerous, we can just say that we can't answer the question instead of lying."

Scarlett thought that over for a few moments.

"OK. That seems reasonable and it's easier not having to make up lies. I'm not the only one who isn't always truthful. You lead a dangerous life too."

"You're right. Let me ask again, how do you know Clay?"

"I told you the truth," Scarlett said, her voice chilly.

Jax thought that through. It seemed logical that if Clay didn't mention how he knew Scarlett he either didn't remember or it would start something with Gemma if she knew how they met.

"Did you sleep with him?"

"No," she said, shuddering, clearly repulsed by the thought.

Jax believed her. Her reaction was just too genuine to be fake. If she and Clay hadn't hooked up, Clay had to know about her in some other way. It also had to be something that he wanted to keep from Gemma.

"You lied when you said you'd only been in Texas long enough to change planes. Either that isn't true or you lied to me when you told me you had lived in Texas."

"I told you the truth," Scarlett said. "I have told you too much about me. It isn't safe for either of us. I denied living in Texas because it was true and every true detail I give builds a picture that combined with some internet searches could lead to someone discovering my true identity. I'm not just protecting my father and me. I'm also protecting anyone who uncovers my identity and contacts my psycho ex. He could easily just kill the person instead of rewarding them."

"That makes sense," Jax said.

He didn't believe it. If Scarlett had just lied about not living in Texas, he might have believed her, but combined with Clay sort of recognizing her, it was too much of a coincidence. She had some kind of connection with Clay.

He used all the information he'd gotten from Scarlett since he met her and put together his new theory; Scarlett was Clay's daughter. It made perfect sense. Scarlett just happened to be driving around looking for a place to open a business when she found Charming. More likely, Scarlett decided to meet her bio-dad and that's what really brought her to Charming.

If he were right, that meant that Clay had cheated on Gemma. That fit his theory that Clay didn't want Gemma to know how he knew Scarlett. Maybe he saw pictures of her as she grew up. That would explain why he thought she looked familiar. And it also explained her reaction when he asked if she had slept with him.

"You're Clay's daughter," Jax said.

Jax saw not only surprise on Scarlett's face, but fear. Her reaction had confirmed his theory; Scarlett was Clay's daughter.


	194. Chapter 194

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 194 Worship**

When Jax walked out of the woods and spoke to the carnival goers, revealing how SAMCRO rescued a kid from rapists, it was a great moment. The sun hit him just right burnishing him so he looked like a sun god. The curve of his lips, the vivid blue of his eyes and his long tumbled blonde hair that looked wind swept; she would be happy if she could just stare at his beauty forever. Maybe touch him a little. Maybe touch him a lot. This was dissolving into some trashy crappy romance novel.

She was a little crazed because she wasn't going to kill again until Louise returned from her vacation and she could kill her splatter movie style. That's why her mind had temporarily turned down the dark path of a trashy romance novel.

She needed the release she got from killing. It helped her keep mentally balanced. Without it, her frustrations with life would boil over. She could become completely out of control. That would make her a danger to herself and the world.

Killing small animals didn't get her off anymore. Once she'd killed a human, it was hard for her to go back to animals. It was like learning to walk and then crawling.

Jax had been with hundreds of girls. What was so special about the blonde whore? Did the blonde whore know how to do something so amazing sexually that Jax couldn't resist? What the _hell_ could it be?

She'd just had a brilliant idea. She might have had this idea before, but forgot that she had this brilliant idea. It didn't matter. She had the idea now. That's what mattered. She was going to make friends with the blonde whore and find out all the details of her sex life with Jax. That's how she could find out why Jax was so hung up on the blonde whore.

Was she going to be able to handle listening to the details of the blonde's sex life with Jax? Could listening to the details hurt more than imagining what they were doing together? No, she would be OK. She'd just have to suck it up. She needed to learn what the blonde was doing to Jax that kept him glued to her because she was going to use all the blonde's tricks and get Jax for herself.

Thinking about Jax having sex with the blonde whore was going to make her psychotic if she didn't calm down. She decided she better take her psych meds before she did anything else. It had been a couple of days since she had taken them and if she didn't want the walls to start talking to her or the government drones to buzz her head trying to hear her thoughts, she better take them.

She could drink until she blacked out, smoke weed until she was too stoned to stand up or take a handful of sleeping pills and pass out. Before she could make a decision on how she was going to spend her evening, she'd gotten another great idea. If the blonde whore wouldn't be her friend and tell her the sex details she wanted, she could just kidnap and torture her until she got the details. It was probably only a matter of time before she killed her anyway.

To celebrate, she drank a couple of shots of whiskey, smoked a joint and swallowed a handful of sleeping pills.


	195. Chapter 195

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 195 Twisty**

Scarlett had been in a lot of tight spots when her life depended on quick thinking and her ability to talk her way out of a situation. This wasn't one of them.

When Clay asked her about Texas, she knew she would have to tell Jax why she lied. While he'd had a celebratory beer with his brothers, she'd had a lot of time to plan her next moves and get her story air tight.

"I don't know who my father is," Scarlett said, her voice soft. "I had my dad and when I was little I didn't understand the difference between bio dad and a regular dad. When I was old enough to understand, it didn't seem important.

"On my eighteenth birthday, my dad gave me a large envelope. Across the front of it my mother had written that if I wanted to know who fathered me, the answers were inside."

Scarlett looked down at her hands as though she were re-living that day. She'd learned little pauses in telling a story made it look like a memory was being recalled.

"When did you open the envelope?"

"At eighteen, I thought about destroying the envelope, so I would never be tempted to open it. I love my father. If I opened the envelope, it would be like telling my dad that he wasn't enough of a father for me. I didn't destroy it, but I didn't open it either. A few months ago, I decided to open the envelope, but not tell my father. My curiosity got the best of me. The contents of the envelope surprised me."

Scarlett took another pause, looked out the car's window for a few moments and wondered what it would feel like to be in a relationship where she could tell the truth. She'd lost herself in all the lies she'd been forced to tell to stay alive.

"I thought I'd see his name and that would be it. Instead, there was a list of three possible fathers. I should have known that it wouldn't have been that easy," she said a trace of bitterness in her voice.

"I used the internet to find the guys. The first guy smoked, so I waited until he threw some cigarette butts on the ground and took them. I got them tested with my DNA. No match. He wasn't bio dad."

"So either Clay is your father or it's the other guy."

"Or neither. If Clay isn't my father, I'll still check the other guy's DNA. My mother could have left a name off the list."

"What are you going to do if you find out that Clay's your father?"

"Nothing. I don't want to disrupt anyone's life or cause trouble. I also don't want my father to learn about my search for my bio dad."

"If Clay's your father, that means he cheated on Gemma."

"That gets back to the whole not wanting to disrupt anyone's life."

"So is starting a business in Charming a cover for why you're really here?"

"I need a business to launder the money my dad and I took from my psycho ex. When you showed me the town on the first day we met, I really liked the place. Everything about my business is real."

"Why did you lie about Texas?"

"I thought if I admitted that I'd lived in Texas, he might suspect I could be his daughter since my mother lived there about the time of my conception. I don't want him or anyone else to know my bio dad's identity."

"You didn't have to lie to me," Jax said with an edge to his voice.

"I know you were trying to help when you told me that if we can't tell the truth about something, we can just say that. I lied because I didn't want you to put together the truth. I didn't want you to know that Clay might be my father.

"Trust is hard for me. If Clay _is_ my father, I'm afraid you might tell him. I don't think you would do it out of any bad intent. I think you might think it was for the best."

"If Clay is your father, it means he cheated on Gemma."

"That gets back to me not wanting to disrupt anyone's life. I just want to know for myself and I don't want my father real or bio to know."

"That makes sense. Do you want me to help you get some of Clay's DNA?"

"No, I'll figure it out. I don't want to put you in the middle."

That's how you play Jax Teller, she thought. It had gone flawlessly. When her father gave her what she needed to show Clay he wasn't her father, she might be able to use Jax to get that information to Clay.

Scarlett may have played Jax Teller, but karma is a bitch and Scarlett was about to get bitch slapped by reality and endure the most humiliating and embarrassing experience of her life.

 _Author's Note: In this story, Jax was a young child when JT died. It makes more sense to me that Jax was a lot younger and never got a chance to really know his father. The whole journal thing will have more meaning because it's the only way he can get to know his father._


	196. Chapter 196

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 196 Karma**

Jax wasn't angry with Scarlett for lying. She lived a dangerous life and they hadn't known each other long. He hoped that one day they could both trust each other.

He estimated that he was older than Scarlett by a couple of years. Clay and Gemma had a happy marriage, but there had been a couple of rough patches. If his memory were correct, there was a rough patch about the time Scarlett might have been conceived.

He wondered which came first, the affair or the rough patch. It didn't really matter. Clay cheated on Gemma and there was no excuse for that, but it was many years ago. If Gemma didn't know about the affair, he wasn't going to say anything. It was over, done and in the past.

If Scarlett wanted to cause trouble, she would have told Clay he might be her father and asked him to take a paternity test in front of Gemma. She hadn't done that. He believed her when she said she wasn't out to disrupt anyone's life; she just wanted to know her father's identity. The issue was closed for now.

"You were right about Tara," Jax said.

"That's not surprising," Scarlett said, smiling. "It happens all the time. How was I right about Tara?"

"You said you thought she'd come back to Charming for me."

"OK. Now, I remember. It didn't take a lot of thought. It was pretty obvious."

"She came to my house a couple of nights ago. She wanted to give our relationship another try."

"I knew she must still have feelings for you even after ten years. If you still have feelings for her, maybe you should give it a try."

There wasn't a trace of jealousy in Scarlett's voice. Tara had been insanely jealous. If he even glanced at another girl, there would be a fight either with him or the girl.

His experience with Tara caused him to believe that a girl had to be jealous to prove her love. He had been so sure that Scarlett was falling for him. Now he was beginning to question his conclusion.

"Ten years," Jax said with a shake of his head. "You don't know someone after ten years of no contact."

"I think she loves the past you and assumes that her changes and your changes over the years have kept pace so you both are in the same place."

"That makes sense in a "that's how women think" kind of way. I think Tara isn't happy with her life and she thinks I'm the key to solving that."

"That's one of the great romantic fantasies. A man comes, sweeps you off your feet and fixes everything wrong with your life."

"Is that one of your fantasies?"

"Not anymore," she said drily. "I thought I was living my fantasy with my psycho ex. Should have known better."

"Don't be so hard on yourself."

"My father is always telling me that and I always ignore him."

"That's right. You don't like being told what to do."

"He's doing this thing now that is driving me crazy. He always asks if I've been behaving myself with the biker."

Jax laughed.

"Maybe it's reverse psychology and he wants you to misbehave with me."

"There may be something to that," Scarlett admitted. "He also tells me that I shouldn't cut your hair. It's never even crossed my mind to cut your hair . . ."

"Until he put the idea in your head," Jax finished her sentence.

"I think that the repercussions of that wouldn't be good."

Jax laughed.

"That's an understatement. Don't let it cross your mind again."

"See, that's playing into my whole "I don't like to be told what to do" thing."

"Be a good girl," he said, grinning.

"I get it," she said, narrowing her green eyes. "Now, you're trying reverse psychology. It won't work. I'm too much of a good girl to ever be a bad girl."

"I can corrupt you and bring out your inner bad girl."

Scarlett laughed.

"I'll tell you a secret. I don't have an inner bad girl."

"You just haven't been with the right guy. That's why you think you don't have an inner bad girl."

It was time to take things to a more romantic level with Scarlett. He'd been taking it slow and easy with her because she had an injured back, but he was going to kick up the heat and make her burn for him. Scarlett would find she had an inner bad girl that was just for him.

They stopped at the fast food place just outside of Charming that they had stopped at when they were returning from the lake house. They got foot long hot dogs and shared onion rings and French fries followed by ice cream cones they decided to eat in the car. The things Scarlett was doing with her ice cream and her tongue . . . The worst part was she seemed completely oblivious to its effect on him.

"I haven't seen you in a couple of days. What have you been doing?"

This was a test for Scarlett to see if she would mention that she'd been out with Hale. It also might distract him from watching her tongue licking her ice cream. He would definitely let her dry him off with her tongue. She seemed to really know what she was doing.

"I went out with Hale. He told me something about his name that was interesting. He said in high school, he wanted everyone to call him Hale. He decided he didn't like his first name. When he went to college, he had second thoughts and decided he liked his first name. Now, he goes by both names."

"You think that was interesting?"

"It was sweet," she said. "We got Chinese and went to his house and watched L.A. Confidential. We spent so much time talking that we only got about a third of the way through the movie. It was nice to let my inner film geek out."

There was nothing in Scarlett's tone of voice to suggest that she was telling him about Hale to make him jealous. She was just telling him about what she'd been doing.

Tara also told him about other guys to make him jealous. He always knew that was her purpose and he'd never fallen for it.

Scarlett was different. He didn't want Hale anywhere near her because Hale was the kind of guy she might find attractive. He might even be able to help her with her psycho ex problem.

"Hale can bring out your inner film geek, but he will never be able to bring out your inner bad girl."

"Jax, I really don't have an inner bad girl. That's the sad truth."

"You have an inner bad girl. You're just afraid to find her."

Scarlett laughed.

"You're so cute thinking I have an inner bad girl."

They arrived at the lake house. He helped her out of the car, noticing that she was stiffer and seemed to be in pain.

"I think I'm going to take a bath. Maybe a long soak in the tub will help."

Jax brought their bags in and put them in her bedroom assuming that they were sharing her bed tonight.

She opened her overnight bag and shook out two muscle relaxers from the amber plastic prescription bottle and swallowed them with some water.

"I think I'll use the shower in the other bedroom and then watch some stuff on your computer."

"There are a bunch of DVDs in the bookcase in the living room. Whatever you want to watch is OK with me."

She grabbed her clothes from the bag and went into the bathroom closing the door behind her.

Jax showered and changed into lightweight navy sweats that he wore when he shared a bed with Scarlett. He decided to check out her DVD collection in the living room.

He decided on _Father Ted_. It might be interesting to watch a comedy with Irish priests. It could be useful since the Irish were the main suppliers of the guns SAMCRO sold.

He finished watching the first episode and decided to rewatch it. He liked to watch programs for the first time with Scarlett.

She wasn't out of the bathroom yet. She may have wanted to have along soak, but she must have been gone an hour. He decided to give her another fifteen minutes and then he would check on her.

Fifteen minutes later and still no Scarlett. He was worried. She could have fallen and hit her head. He should have checked on her sooner.

He knocked on the bathroom door. No answer. He knocked louder. Still no answer. He knocked louder.

"Scarlett, are you OK?"

"I'm mostly OK," she said in a sad little voice. "I can't get out of the bathtub."

"You're stuck in the bathtub?"

"I am not stuck in the bathtub," she said indignantly. "I just can't get out. I can't get a good enough hold to pull myself out of the bathtub. I'm slick and the bathtub's slick. It's terrible."

There was nothing terrible about this to Jax. Scarlett was naked in a bathtub and couldn't get out. He was just going to have to rescue her.

He laughed. This was going to be a lot of fun. Maybe Scarlett's inner bad girl would make an appearance before the night was over.

He grinned that Jax Teller grin that women found so irresistible.


	197. Chapter 197

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 197 Welcome**

By the time Hale walked out of the woods, all of the town's citizens were gone, the carnival booths had been packed up, torn down or stolen and the rides were being removed. He heard that SAMCRO walked out of the woods to a hero's welcome. That was how things worked in Charming.

He hadn't decided to go into law enforcement because he wanted to be a hero. If he'd wanted to be a hero, he would have become a fire fighter.

People overestimated their bravery and most didn't know that fire fighters got paid to sleep. He also heard from dispatch that fire fighters would rather answer a fire call than a medical call. These delays cost a couple of lives. Some smarter citizens were suing the county who provided fire services to Charming over the delay.

He and Jax had been friends until Jax became a prospect for SAMCRO and he decided he wanted a career in law enforcement and ultimately to become the chief of police of Charming. They were still friendly enough and able to cooperate when their goals aligned. Today was the perfect example. He might not have made it out of the woods alive without the MC.

He didn't think Tara had much chance at getting Jax back even if Scarlett weren't in the picture. Tara was more like him, uptight, morally superior and a little humorless. That wasn't going to work with Jax long term. It was one of the reasons their relationship fell apart. New Tara wasn't much different than old Tara.

Scarlett was different. She brought out a fun loving, lighter side to him that was new. In the short term, he knew Jax would sleep with her, but slow and steady would win the race and Scarlett's heart. He wasn't just after sex. He wanted an emotional connection with her.

He knew that Jax was better looking. He wasn't blind or stupid. He'd seen the way girls looked at him. Scarlett was smart. She might be attracted at first, but he hoped that she would figure out a life with Jax would be hard.

If he couldn't get Scarlett to fall in love with him, he hoped she would move on to another man that didn't belong to an outlaw motorcycle gang. It might seem romantic to naïve young women, but the outlaw part meant there was a good chance SAMCRO's members would end up killed or doing long stretches in prison. He didn't want that for Scarlett or Tara.

Old ladies had a hard life filled with domestic violence and men who didn't believe in women's equality. He wondered how Scarlett would like it if one of the guys in the MC explained to her that females are considered property. That might not be Jax's personal view, but it was the MC's and Clay's.

He was impatiently waiting for Unser to step down as police chief and retire. The cancer battle had taken a lot out of him and he'd never been a very energetic police chief even when he was newly appointed.

He knew about the summit held in Floyd's barber shop when Unser gave up his role in law enforcement and agreed to expedite SAMCRO's criminal needs in exchange for the MC keeping crime and gangs out of Charming.

His desire to restore law and order to Charming had nothing to do with Jax and everything to do with the insanity of letting an outlaw MC run the town. It wouldn't be an easy job. Elliot Oswald was in SAMCRO's corner and after the events today, that was unlikely to change. He had a lot of influence.

He didn't have any passion for locking up Jax and the MC. He wanted them to leave the city or abide by the law. He was willing to give them an adjustment period. If they did that, there would be no need to lock them up.

Hale answered his cell phone. Since he'd become acting police chief, there was no such thing as time off. As he listened, a smile spread across his face. It turned out that the men that were going to rape Oswald's daughter weren't average low life scum; all the men had priors, as he suspected. What he didn't know, and was just learning, the men had kiddie porn on their phones including video of them raping kids. This had the potential to shut down a major kiddie porn operation and put these men behind bars for life.

Soon the town would be flooded with feds from across the spectrum of federal agencies. This break could not only provide leads to shut down a kiddie porn ring, it could help identify child victims who might be in need of social services to help them cope with what happened to them.

It would provide some consolation when he thought of Scarlett spending the night in Jax's arms. He'd long since made peace with the fact that most girls in Charming ended up spending a night with Jax. He just didn't like it.


	198. Chapter 198

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 198 Bubbles**

Scarlett believed that by being a good person, good things would happen. She had a lot to learn about life. This was one of those lessons.

All she wanted was to take a nice hot bath to relax the muscles in her back. If she had only thought about her bath plan more carefully, she might not have found herself trapped naked in a bathtub waiting for Jax to rescue her. Her plan went wrong almost from the start.

She had failed to take into account that she couldn't go to from a standing to a sitting position without holding on to something and lowering her body gradually. It wasn't that it was painful, it was physically impossible. Her body couldn't do it.

She stepped into the bubble bath and realized there was nothing to grab while she lowered herself into the water. That was the moment when she should have given up, drained the bathwater and taken a shower, but she was stubborn and determined.

The bathtub was a typical bathtub/shower combination with three tiled walls and a big wide ledge along one side. It was too low for her to use to lower her body. She decided to rest her hand against the tiled wall and then slowly move it down the wall until she was low enough to use the ledge to finish lowering her body into the water. Her back didn't have the strength or flexibility to get down low enough to reach the bathtub's ledge. She was awkwardly crouched unable to figure out how to get low enough into the water. Gravity and a slick bathtub helped her, sending her slipping down into the water with a big splash. The water spilled out of the bathtub in waves.

Scarlett gasped in pain from both the fall and the jolt to her spine that happened when she slipped. She hoped that the hot bath would be worth the pain and effort. It wasn't. She did recall that she didn't really like baths and preferred a nice hot shower. She would remember this the next time she got the bright idea to take a bath.

Getting out should be easier, she told herself. She had a better plan. She was going to swing her body around until her feet were facing the tiled wall and the bathtub's ledge was behind her. She would hold onto the ledge and pull herself up until she was sitting on the ledge. Next she would swing her legs around until she was facing away from the bathtub, push herself off the ledge, staying hunched over and extending her arms out in front of her. She would walk hunched over until her hands reached the wall about six feet from the bathtub and then walk her hands up the wall until she was upright.

It might have been a good plan if she had been able to pull herself up on the ledge, but the ledge was too wide for her to get an effective grip. She tried repeatedly to push herself up, but each time she failed. It was time for a new plan.

Her limited mobility also limited her options. She thought about moving until she was on her knees in the bathtub, but she didn't know how she could get into a standing position given her physical limitations.

She knew that eventually Jax would check on her, so she was going to be rescued; it was just going to be humiliating. After explaining the situation to Jax, she told him where to find the key to the bathroom door.

"I have an idea, so you won't be so embarrassed about being naked," Jax said.

Scarlett was instantly suspicious.

"OK," she said. "Tell me."

"I'll take my clothes off too. That way you won't be the only one naked."

This just kept getting worse. Scarlett shut her eyes hoping that when she opened them, she would discover it had all been just a vivid dream. She opened her eyes. No dream.


	199. Chapter 199

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 199 Plan B**

Jax found the small flat key to the bathroom above the third floor bathroom's door frame. He paused before inserting it into the lock. He heard running water.

"Are you running water in the bathtub?"

"Since I'm stuck in the bathtub, that's the only place I can run it."

Jax chuckled.

"Is this some clever plan to trick me into taking a bath with you? You don't really need to trick me."

"No, it's my new plan."

Jax groaned.

"Does this plan involve me taking my clothes off?"

"No. You didn't do that, did you?" she asked, alarm in her voice.

Jax didn't reply. He opened the door. He knew exactly what he would find; Scarlett in the bathtub bubbles covering up her nakedness.

"I knew it," he said disappointment in his voice.

She did look worse for the experience. Her eyeliner was smeared, her cheeks were flushed from the bath or embarrassment Jax wasn't sure which and her lips were a faded cherry red. She looked sexy as hell.

"You know I can't help you out of the tub while you are covered in bubbles," Jax said.

"It's the new plan. You give me a couple of towels and leave the bathroom. I cover up with the towels and then you come back into the room and help me."

"Or I could stand here and watch your bubbles disappear. I don't mind waiting," Jax suggested with a grin.

Scarlett may have taken some of the fun out of her being trapped naked in a bathtub, but there was still some fun to be found.

She scooped up bubbles and added them to her breasts to replace the ones that had dissolved in the bath water.

"You wouldn't take advantage of my situation."

"Actually," Jax confessed, "I was going to try to take advantage of you later tonight, but I'm good with moving up the timeline."

"You wouldn't really do that, would you?"

"What do you think?" he asked, his blue eyes shining with mischief.

"Could you just please help me?"

"OK," he agreed, "but I'm going to need something in return."

"What?"

"After I've rescued you, I want you to kiss me like you are very grateful."

"Can I put on clothes first?"

Jax pretended to think about that for a moment or two while he gave the bubbles time to disappear.

"Please," she whispered.

"You can put on clothes but that better be some kiss."

Jax grabbed a couple of white bath towels and put them on the bathtub's ledge. He took a look at Scarlett to see if he could see any skin through the bubbles. The bubbles were still too thick. He left the bathroom and shut the door.

This was a new experience for Jax. He was used to girls flaunting their bodies. This newly discovered modesty was another layer to Scarlett's personality.

It suddenly occurred to him that Scarlett might not want him to see her naked for a very good reason that had nothing to do with modesty. He was jumping to conclusions. He had to be wrong. He needed to find out the truth. Immediately.

He tapped on the door and opened it. Scarlett had drained the water from the tub and dried herself off with one towel and used the other larger bath sheet to wrap around her body.

"Have you figured out how you want me to get you out of the tub?"

"I can't really help you much physically. I sort of fell into the tub when I was trying to get into it. I thought I could lift myself out, but my body isn't strong enough."

"I'm trying to come up with a way to minimize your pain. I don't want to injure you more."

"I don't care anymore. I just want out of the tub. I am never taking a bath again."

"You could take one with me."

"That's a deal. If I ever take another bath again, it will be with you."

"I'm going to hold you to that," he said letting his eyes linger on the towel tucked around her body wondering what exactly was underneath it. For a couple of moments he thought of trying to accidentally make her towel come loose and fall.

"I will be so glad to get out of this tub."

"I've enjoyed it."

"I appreciate you rescuing me," Scarlett said sweetly.

"OK. How does this sound; I'll just grab you under the arms and pull you up until you're on the bathtub's edge. I'll swing you around slowly and I'll help you stand up from there."

"I'm ready."

Jax bent down and grabbed Scarlett under the arms and pulled her up and out of the water until she was sitting on the tub's edge. He tried to look down the front of her towel but it was wrapped too tightly around her.

He held his arm out, she gripped it tightly and leaned on him heavily. He brought her to a standing position in four steps giving her back time to adjust at each step before raising his arm.

"Finally," she said as she stood completely upright.

"There's something else I want from you."

"What?"

"This whole thing about you not wanting me to see you naked is strange for me. Are you hiding something?"

"Like what?" she asked puzzled.

"Are you a woman on top and a man on the lower part?"

The sparkle returned to Scarlett's green eyes and she smiled for the first time since she'd gotten stuck in the tub.

"And if you tell me your lower part is male, you're going to have to prove it by showing it to me," Jax added.


	200. Chapter 200

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 200 Could Be**

The office was dimly lit by a desk lamp. The man behind the desk opened his desk drawer and looked at the picture of the woman who had humiliated him in front of all his friends and business associates. To say he hated her was an understatement. All he could think about was getting his hands on her and taking her apart piece by piece in the most painful way imaginable.

He didn't know if he ever really loved her, but he knew that he definitely hated her. Love can fade, but if you did hate right, it could last a lifetime.

His assistant walked into his office.

"There is a story on the internet about some carnival that ended in massive police arrests. I just glanced at it when I saw some pictures that were posted before the arrests. There's a girl . . ."

"Show me."

The assistant opened his laptop and put it down in front of his boss and brought up the picture. It was a picture of a child on a ride. Off to one side was a crowd shot of a tall blonde woman with a man also with blonde hair.

He studied the picture. The hair color was different and the picture was a profile shot. There was no clear view of her eyes.

"I don't know. It's possible," he said.

"Do you want me to follow up?"

The man looked at the picture and enlarged it, but it didn't help him. The picture was too small and the angle was bad. The woman was holding onto the man's arm.

"What's with the guy? It looks like they're together."

The assistant looked at the picture.

"It does look that way. The leather vest. He may be a biker, but I can't see anything that could identify the club. What do you want to do?"

There was a long pause while the man drummed his fingers on his desk and studied the picture.

"Keep scouring the internet for pictures. If we can get a better picture, I'll evaluate it again. If it's her and she's with this guy, we'll take them both."

"If he's a biker, that may prove to be a problem."

"Money fixes problems."

The assistant shut the laptop and left his boss so he could continue to stare out his ex-fiancée's picture and plot her death.


	201. Chapter 201

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 201 Pay Up**

Scarlett wanted to tell Jax that she was part man just to see the look on his face, but when he added that she would have to prove it, he made that impossible.

"Do you really think I could possibly be part man?"

"You seem strangely reluctant to show me your body."

"Reluctant? I'm not a stripper or a porn star. Taking my clothes off and letting a man see my body is something that I keep private."

"Really?" Jax studied her as though he were picturing what she would look like under the towel.

Scarlett felt her body grow warm under his piercing gaze. This was bad. He was standing too close to her. The towel may have covered up all her private areas, but she was still naked. She was terrified, not of him so much as of herself.

She had a crazy irrational fear that her towel would accidentally drop. If that happened, her humiliation would be complete. She held her arms tightly at her sides to keep her towel from budging.

"Answer my question."

"I was born a girl and I am a complete girl."

"That's a relief," Jax said. He ran his hands up her arms sending shivers up her spine. "Your skin . . ." Jax broke off as his right hand reached her collar bone. His fingers traced it getting close to the top of her breast.

"What's wrong with my skin?" Scarlett demanded startled. "Did being in the bathtub so long do something to it?"

"You have the softest, smoothest, most amazing skin I've ever touched."

Scarlett's face flushed and she caught her breath, knocked completely off guard by his comment.

"I think you've touched enough of it."

"OK," Jax said, grinning. He dropped his hands to his sides.

"I told you that you didn't need to loofah my skin with your beard."

"You know that had nothing to do with the feel of your skin and everything to do with sex and touching you?"

"I figured that out eventually," she whispered.

"Hurry and get dressed," Jax said gruffly. "I want payment."

Jax left the bathroom shutting the door behind him. Scarlett felt like she'd dodged a bullet. She shut her eyes. She wanted to run away. If there had been a door that led outside, she would have taken it and just walked slowly and painfully away into the night. This was a new kind of fear.

Before, fear had always been about danger and survival. Her fear now was completely different, but no less real. Getting emotionally involved with Jax would not end well. He was going to crush her emotionally. She couldn't let herself get emotionally involved with him. Her brain needed to get her emotions under control.

She tried to focus on how happy she was not to be trapped in the bathtub. At least that humiliation was over. She just had to deal with Jax. Kissing him wasn't the problem; stopping was going to be tricky.

She dressed with difficulty. Her muscles had tensed up from being in the confined space of the bathtub for so long despite the muscle relaxers she'd taken.

She kept reliving the humiliation of having to be pulled out of the bathtub. She reminded herself that this was just a temporary problem with her back. A couple of months of physiotherapy and she'd be back to normal. She'd also vowed not only to Jax but to herself that she would never take a bath again.

She scrubbed her make-up off and decided against putting on more. Her back hurt just standing. She needed to sit down, but first she had to pay the price for getting stuck in the bathtub.

Jax was in the living room looking through her DVD collection when she walked into the room. He gave her an appraising look.

"How do you feel?"

"Really stiff."

Jax laughed.

"I know that feeling well, but I'm guessing we're talking about two different things."

Scarlett shook her head.

"Such charm," she said.

Her brain was back firmly in control of her mind and body. That momentary fear was gone. Her emotions were a roller coaster, but this was the straight stretch when the ride ends. She was going to get through the night without any more humiliation.

"Pay up."

"What are you going to do if I don't? Put me back in the bathtub?"

"OK. You want to play hard? How's this? I'll tell everyone how I had to rescue you naked from the bathtub. I'll leave out the part about the towels and I'll embellish the story with sex stuff."

He hit her with the Jax Teller killer smile. Her brain held on to its control. He wasn't going to make her weak in the knees this time. She would not fall drooling at his feet.

He walked towards her and her resolve began to waiver. That was a lot of testosterone heading her way. He was just so damned sexy.

"I wasn't going to not pay up," she said quickly, desperate to maintain control. "I just wanted to find out what you would do. You are kind of mean."

"Mean? If I were mean, I wouldn't have given you the towels."

"OK. You're right. You were wonderful and kind."

"You aren't going to get out of kissing me by trying to sweet talk me."

"Why would I even want to?"

"Remember, I expect you to be _very_ grateful."

Scarlett took a step closer to Jax and ran her hand up the front of his T-shirt. She leaned in, her hand resting lightly on his chest, stood on tiptoe and then just as her lips touched his, his phone alerted him that he had a text message or email.

Jax swore softly under his breath.

"Temporary time out."

Jax walked into the bedroom to grab his phone from his cut just as Scarlett's phone rang in the living room. It was Hale.

"Is something wrong?" Scarlett asked instantly worried.

"Is Jax with you? He should hear this too."

"I'm right here," Jax said.

Scarlett turned the speakerphone on.


	202. Chapter 202

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 202 Too Close**

As much as Jax would have loved to have caught a glimpse of a naked Scarlett, he knew it wouldn't go much further than a look. Scarlett's physical condition had deteriorated after she'd pushed her body to its limits to get help for Tristen. She was walking more stiffly and taking smaller steps than usual.

He had behaved pretty well, but she was definitely testing his self-control. He could have spent the entire night exploring the wonders of her soft, smooth skin, but he wasn't going to take advantage of her—at least not that night.

When they finally made love, he wanted it to be a great experience for her. That couldn't happen when she was in so much pain. She didn't need to be able to move. He could handle that part all by himself.

"I wanted to give you information on what's going on here with the men in the woods," Hale said. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," Scarlett replied. "What's going on?"

"We haven't identified two of the men yet. Some of them have used fake names, so it's been a challenge. The men we've identified are on probation for various offenses including kiddie porn. It hasn't come out yet, but it will soon.

"There are videos on their phones and on some thumb drives showing kids being raped," Hale paused. "There's even a snuff film. A child was being assaulted and is killed on camera. It's the worst thing I've seen in my entire life."

"Oh, my God," Scarlett gasped.

"We'll keep this information to ourselves," Jax said.

Jax had seen a lot of bad shit in his life, but not on the scale that Hale was describing. He was proud that he and SAMCRO played a role in getting those bastards locked up. There was nothing worse than assaulting and killing a child.

"The Feds are arriving. I think we've got close to a full alphabet of them either here or on the way including ATF."

That was Hale providing a little payback to Jax and SAMCRO with that piece of information. He knew SAMCRO dealt guns, but it happened outside the city limits. There wasn't anything he could do about it. ATF didn't have that jurisdiction problem.

Jax wondered if ATF was coming to town using the kiddie porn investigation to conceal the true target of their investigation—SAMCRO.

"Why is the ATF investigating?" Jax asked.

"I don't know what their angle is," Hale confessed. "If I hear anything, I'll let you know. Most of the feds are interested in following the money trail. That could lead to a lot of arrests. Oswald's leaving tomorrow. He's taking his daughter to Florida to Disneyworld for a few days. He's trying to keep her clear of it for awhile."

"I hope you get enough on these guys to keep them locked up forever," Scarlett said.

"I was looking online at some of the things that were being posted about the carnival and what happened," Hale said after a long pause. "I found a picture. Scarlett, I'm sending you an email with two pictures. It would be better if you could see them on a computer. Do you have a computer or tablet?"

"I have my laptop. Give me a minute or two to pull it up," she said.

"I'll get your laptop," Jax said heading to the bedroom to grab it.

Scarlett followed him.

"I need to sit down," she said slowly lowering herself painfully to a sitting position on the bed.

Jax handed the laptop to Scarlett and took her cell phone. She quickly logged on and pulled up her email. The picture showed a child on a carnival ride and the crowd including Scarlett and Jax.

The color left Scarlett's face. Even her lips turned white.

"It isn't a very clear picture," Hale said.

Scarlett stared at the picture.

"I know the family of the little boy in the picture. I called them and asked them to crop you and Jax out of the picture. Told them you had a dangerous husband. They cropped the picture and that's the second picture I sent."

The second picture was just as Hale described; Scarlett and Jax were removed from the picture.

"Did you check to see if there are anymore of the first picture that might have been reposted?" Jax asked.

"I did an image search. There are no more copies of the picture."

"Do you know how long it was up?" Jax asked.

"A couple of hours," Hale replied.

"Thanks, David," Scarlett whispered.

"I'll let you know if there's anymore information. Jax, take care of her."

"You know _I_ will."

They ended the call. Scarlett went back to look at the first picture Hale had sent to her, studying it carefully.

"Could you give me some alone time? I need to figure this out."

"Sure," Jax said.

He set her phone down on the bed next to her and left her still staring at the picture.

Logically, a bad photo on the internet that was only up for a couple of hours shouldn't be a real danger to Scarlett, but he suspected that some of Scarlett's fear wasn't completely rational. He didn't blame her for it. From the little she'd told him about her psycho ex, she had reason to worry.

He didn't want her to leave Charming, but he didn't want anything to happen to her either. Not seeing her for a couple of days made him realize just how important she'd become to his life. She made his life better by being in it. He couldn't lose her.

After giving her some alone time, Jax returned to the bedroom to check on her. The laptop was still open to the picture. She'd moved it so it was beside her and not on her lap. Tears were streaming down her face.

"Scarlett, are you OK?"

"Go away and leave me alone."

Jax realized it was going to take more than letting her braid his hair and beard to get over this hurdle. He wanted to make her feel better.

"Scarlett . . ."

 _"Just go away."_

"Let me guess, you're father was one of those that says to quit crying or he'll give you something to cry about."

"That was my mother. I want to be alone. Go away."

"Don't push me away. Instead come closer."

Jax went over to her sitting on the bed and sat down so he was facing her.

 _Upcoming Chapter: Jax and Scarlett have a heart to heart conversation._


	203. Chapter 203

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 203 Unlucky Bucky**

Buck Jeffers stared at the bar's TV screen and tried not to laugh. An elderly couple was telling a reporter that they were glad their son's killer had gotten life in prison because they wanted him to suffer every day.

There was a misconception about prison; it wasn't hell every second of every minute of every day. Once you got used to shitting in front of your cellie and watching your cellie shit in front of you, it wasn't that bad assuming you belonged to some kind of group that provided protection.

The food was terrible, but that was where his prison pen pal girlfriends helped out by giving him money so he could buy anything he wanted from the commissary. He ate ice cream every night. There was nothing miserable about that.

During the day, he got to work out with weights in the yard and now had the best body of his life. People who thought prison was horrible, needed to face the cold hard fact that even in prison, it was possible to find some moments of happiness. It wasn't all misery and rape.

Death Row was real punishment though. In-mates were dependent on their attorneys to save their lives. Just having to work with an attorney was torture. Add to that, in-mates didn't know if they would die or if the state would kill them. It was a race in slow motion to see which would happen first. The whole uncertainty of the future weighed on their minds.

That was it. He wasn't going to think about prison anymore or whether the death penalty was a good idea or not. It had nothing to do with him.

He was just going to keep enjoying his first day out of prison by having a beer in a bar a couple of blocks from the grimy hotel he'd checked into two hours ago. He even had a new friend named Steve who bought him chicken wings and beer. He had always found it easy to make friends.

He finished his beer in a gulp. A fresh beer was put in front of him before he even asked. Everything was going right for him.

In the morning, he was taking a bus to visit one of his prison pen pal girlfriends. She was going to buy him a car and give him some money. She thought they were going to get married and he knew he was going to leave her once he'd gotten everything he could out of her.

After another half dozen beers all paid for by his new friend Steve, he left the bar. Steve was helping him walk because the sidewalk seemed to have developed a tilt while he'd been drinking in the bar.

He was standing at the corner waiting for the light to change when he suddenly found himself flying over the curb into on-coming traffic. Did Steve push him?

That was the last thought before everything went black for Buck Jeffers.


	204. Chapter 204

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 204 Push Back**

Scarlett discovered that there was one thing she was more afraid of than facing an armed team determined to kidnap her and bring her to her psycho ex so he could torture her and that was falling in love with Jax. She had smugly insisted that she never falls in love. She was terrified that was all in the past.

She was learning there were two types of courage physical and emotional. She didn't have the emotional courage to get closer to Jax. The idea of falling in love and losing control over her emotions left her sick with fear.

Her brain could still help her out. She could use words to shove Jax away and end this falling in love hell before it could begin.

"I don't want to come closer to you. I want you to go away and leave me alone."

"Talk to me."

He was trying to trick her with his words. He wanted her weak and vulnerable, so she would believe all his sweet lies.

"I did. Weren't you listening? I want to be left alone."

"Are you afraid because the picture of us was posted on the internet?" Jax's voice was soft and gentle.

It was so hard to keep fighting against the comfort in his voice and the haven he would give her if he wrapped his arms around her. She wasn't going to be another foolish woman taken in by Jax Teller's sex appeal and charm. She was tougher than that.

"I'm not afraid. I'm not some damsel in distress that needs rescuing by some man. I can take care of myself. I don't need you and I want you to get the hell away from me _now_ ," Scarlett said raising her voice to emphasize her words.

"Do you remember where you were less than fifteen minutes ago? You were stuck in a bathtub. _I_ had to rescue you or you would still be in the bathtub," Jax raised his voice to help Scarlett hear his words better.

"I wasn't talking about the past. I meant now."

"Scarlett are you delusional? You can barely walk _now_."

"I can take care of myself. I don't need you."

"Tell me what's really wrong."

Scarlett wasn't about to admit to Jax that she was worried that she was developing feelings for him and it scared her to death. She never wanted anyone to have that kind of power over her.

"What's really wrong is I want to be alone. Is your ego that fragile that you can't believe a woman preferring her own company to yours?"

Scarlett was sure she'd figured out a winning strategy to use with Jax—attack him. By doing that, she would force him into a defensive position.

"Is your ego that fragile that you can't admit that you need help? Your back injury is in the present. You injured yourself some more saving Tristen. There's no shame in that."

Scarlett had forgotten that when you attack someone, it doesn't always force the person into a defensive position. It sometimes leads to a counterattack.

"Just get the hell away from me."

Jax touched her face, gently brushing her tears away.

"I know there's something wrong with you."

Scarlett pulled away from him.

"The only thing that's wrong is I want to be alone. I hate you. Go away," Scarlett said.

She expected that to work. That should push Jax away for days or at the very least hours.

"You hate me?" Jax's voice was calm.

"Yes."

"OK," he said agreeably. He took her hand and closed the fingers so her hand was a fist. "Hit me or slap me. Show me how much you hate me."

She looked up at him startled. She had planned on him leaving her alone. This was yet another turn she wasn't expecting.

"I don't want to hit you," she said. She looked at her fist resting in Jax's hand. "Damn you, Jax Teller. Why do you have to make everything so difficult?"

"Come closer to me. Tell me what's really wrong."

She shut her eyes trying to will herself to stay strong and resist him.

 _Upcoming chapters—More relationship drama, what happened to Buck Jeffers after he flew over a curb and Jax finds Scarlett in bed with another man. Can she fast talk her way out of this or is this another attempt to push him away?_


	205. Chapter 205

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 205 Down Payment**

Scarlett reminded herself that this was no ordinary man she was dealing with—this was Jax Teller. Women didn't turn him down. He was temporarily attracted to her because she was a challenge. The second he found her no longer a challenge, he would take off and leave her in the dust.

This was her real fear—she would fall in love with Jax and he wouldn't feel the same way. Romance, love and sex were overrated. She wasn't going to get suckered into it. She wasn't going to be just another girl in Jax Teller's long line of conquests. Now that she'd given herself this little pep talk, her resistance was strong and on point.

"Jax, I can't come closer because I need the support from the wall and pillows for my back."

She was pretty sure that he didn't mean to come physically closer to him, but if that _was_ what he meant it would be embarrassing if she got it wrong.

"You know that isn't what I meant."

"I wasn't sure."

"Why are you so afraid to have feelings?"

"I'm not," she said and pulled her fist out of Jax's hands. "I told you I never fall in love. I'm not a weak woman."

"No, you aren't weak, but you are afraid. Scarlett, do you really want to spend your life alone? The only person in your life is your father. That's a lonely life."

Men weren't supposed to initiate relationship conversations. Jax was an outlaw biker; he should be even less in touch with his feelings. How could she have found the only outlaw biker in the world with a sensitive side? She needed to get the hell out of this conversation.

"It's my life and that's how I choose to live it."

"You're right, but one day, you're going to look back and see everything that you missed. We could be great together."

"Jax, you've been great with a lot of girls. Just move on from me to them. There's probably already a line forming at your clubhouse."

"It's not the same thing. When I first saw you, bent over the car with those incredible long legs, yeah, I did think we might spend a night or two together. I got to know you and that changed. I don't want just a night with you."

Somehow this had gone wrong again. Jax was trying to get her to believe that he wanted more than a couple of nights with her. There was even a small part of her that was beginning to believe him. She must be losing her mind.

"Jax, I'm not going to fall in love with you."

"You are already more than halfway there, darlin'" he smiled that charming Jax Teller smile.

"In your dreams," she said, her eyes flashing with anger. "I hate you."

"If that's what you need to tell yourself, OK. You know it isn't true. Now, be a good girl and kiss me. You owe me for getting you out of the bathtub."

"I remember."

"Remember too that I expect you to be _very_ grateful."

"I think you've reminded me at least three times."

"OK. I'm ready. Let's go."

"You're trying to intimidate me," Scarlett complained.

"I'm just trying to make sure I get the kiss I deserve for rescuing you. Most guys wouldn't have given you towels to cover up with."

"No, most guys wouldn't have extorted a kiss as a reward."

"Come on, let's go," Jax said pointing to his lips.

"Glad you're showing me where you want me to kiss you. I was a little worried for a minute."

Scarlett rested her hand on Jax's chest and grimaced with pain as she leaned forward. This time, she kissed him for almost a second before his phone signaled he had a text message or email. Once again, she broke off the kiss.

"That was just a down payment," Jax said before looking at his phone.


	206. Chapter 206

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 206 Phone Football**

"Unfuckingbelievable," Clay shouted into the phone. Unfuckingbelievable."

"You want me to try again? I'll need you to wire me another ten thousand."

Clay was so angry; his eyes seemed to bulge out of his head. He hurled the burner phone to the ground. That wasn't good enough. He kicked it as hard as he could sending it sailing into the outside clubhouse wall.

"Son of a bitch," he said.

That bastard Buck Jeffers had escaped another attempt on his life. He had just been released from a hospital in Texas with a few bandages on his face. The attempt on his life had been so inept, Jeffers escaped without even a broken bone. He had fallen face first into the street and an 18 wheeler had driven over the top of him just grazing his back. Who the hell has that kind of luck?

He regretted destroying his burner phone before yelling at the failed hitman. No one took any kind of pride in their work anymore. What kind of hitman wants another fee for doing the job he failed to do? That gave him an incentive to fail in the first attempt, so he could collect another fee.

Next time, he was going to make the hitman give him a guarantee that the job would be completed or he got his money back.


	207. Chapter 207

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 207 Payment Received**

After reading the text message, Jax got to his feet, went around to the other side of the bed, grabbed the TV's remote control and turned on the television.

"That was from Juice, so was the first message. He said that Clay was interviewed by a local TV station about what happened at the carnival and the MC's role. The interview is going to be on the local Fox news sometime in the next half hour's news. He's recording it, but I'd like to watch it now."

"Me too."

"That's right. You missed a big part of the fun."

"I do appreciate you protecting my identity. I was so consumed with worrying about getting Tristen found before they could rape her, I didn't think of anything past that. You really looked out for that little girl. It would have been so horrible if she'd had to walk through the carnival in her torn clothes."

"My brush with fatherhood has changed me a bit. There's something special about little girls. Brings out my protective side. I keep finding myself thinking about Bela and what I might have had with her."

This wasn't something that he could talk about with Gemma or the guys. Gemma thought that since he wasn't Bela's bio dad then he hadn't lost anything. If Opie weren't still locked up, he could talk to him.

Jax had come to sit beside Scarlett on the bed, his back against the wall and headboard. Scarlet patted his leg.

"It would have been fun to see you as a father."

That was one of the qualities he liked best in Scarlett. She was warm and compassionate. She had so much love to give; she just needed to lose her fear of falling in love. He would help her with that.

Jax turned on the TV and found the channel. It would be interesting to see how the news was going to cover it.

The story was at the top of the news program. A reporter walked through the deserted field stopping under the sign "Fun Town". It wasn't the actual sign. It was a little set dressing by one of the news producers.

"Just a few hours before, this had been the site of a carnival, an annual event for the city of Charming. All that changed this year. David Hale chief of Charming police overheard two residents talk about how they had watched a child being taken into the woods by a stranger. At the same time, Jackson Teller, vice president of a local biker club, heard a story about a gang of men who dragged a little girl into the woods. Her name is being kept confidential. This station doesn't reveal names of alleged sexual assault victims.

"Teller went to investigate with members of his motorcycle club. Hale was already in the woods fighting to protect the girl. Let's listen to Jax Teller continue the story. Thanks to a resident who shared this video with us."

There was Jax, a crowd gathered around him. He told the carnival goers what had happened in the woods. The crowd's anger was palpable.

The video cut back to the reporter in the deserted lot.

"There was a skirmish with residents angered by this gang of alleged kiddie rapists and the sheriff's deputies who were sworn to protect the injured alleged raptists who were being stretchered to ambulances. Chaos broke out and in a short time, there was no more carnival."

There was another video that showed people fleeing the carnival and residents trying to fight the alleged rapists as they were rolled past them on gurneys by paramedics.

"We caught up with Clay Morrow, president of that local biker club for his reaction."

There was a cut to a video of Clay. He was standing in front of the clubhouse wearing his usual jeans and cut. Clay rolled a cigar around in his mouth before removing it so he could speak.

"Clay Morrow here, president of the Sons of Anarchy Motorcycle Club Redwood Original. Our branch of the Sons of Anarchy motorcycle club is based in Charming. It's a great small town and we take pride in keeping the town safe for families. Saving a kid from a vicious gang of rapists is a good day for the MC and its citizens."

The video cut from Clay and returned to the reporter standing underneath the Fun Town sign.

"Today, law enforcement and an outlaw motorcycle gang came together when it really mattered—rescuing a child from a bunch of alleged child rapists. Protecting our children is something that we can all unite around."

The news program returned to the studio and the broadcast continued with a weather report.

"That was good," Jax said. "I wasn't expecting video of me though."

"I wonder why it didn't say anything about the kiddie porn angle."

"Too early. If this thing is as big as Hale says, there will be many follow up stories. It was great the MC got this kind of recognition."

"I'm glad all the guys got credit for saving Tristen."

"Let's get back to what we were doing before we were interrupted," Jax said.

Scarlett got stiffly to her feet.

"You had two chances, but your phone was more important."

"Scarlett, you owe me."

"Your phone was more important, so forfeited the kiss."

"Do you want me to put you in the bathtub?"

"Jax, we both know that's an empty threat. You aren't going to do anything to me."

"Really? I'm going to do to you what you fear most."

She watched Jax walk slowly around the bed until he was standing next to her.

"And what is that?"

"I'm going to make you fall in love with me."

"Never going to happen," Scarlett said with more confidence than she felt.

"Shut up, baby, and kiss me," Jax said in a low growl.

Scarlett opened her mouth to laugh and Jax pounced, covering her mouth with his giving her an intermediate level kiss. She wasn't ready for the advanced yet.

"Where am I sleeping tonight?" Jax asked. He still had his arms around Scarlett, supporting her body.

"You are Jax Teller. You can sleep wherever the hell you want."

"Damned right. Now you are finally learning."


	208. Chapter 208

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 208 Here Today**

This should have been one of the best days in MC history. The coverage of the carnival/sex pervert arrest made the club look like heroes without making them look like they were in bed with law enforcement. It would have been better if there had been more of him and less of Jax in the video clips, but that still was OK. It showed the club was a place for various ages.

The news of Bucky's remarkable survival was bad enough, but the more Clay thought about Jax and his latest sex toy, the more he worried that girl was the child who watched him kill her mother, Eden. The second he saw her, he was transported back to that hot, sticky night in Texas. That girl of Jax's had the same eyes.

In the last five years or so, he had relaxed. He thought either the kid was dead, forgot what she'd seen or knew that accusing him of murder would result in her death. Motorcycle clubs routinely kill witnesses.

He might be able to beat a murder charge, but he didn't want to go through a trial. It would destroy his reputation and leave him destitute. Damned attorneys cost a future.

No, he wasn't going to lose everything. If he had to kill his daughter to save himself then that's what he would do. It wasn't as though he thought of her as his kid. She was always Eden's daughter to him.

He might be overreacting. It could be a coincidence, but the safest course of action was to kill her. Worse case, he killed someone he shouldn't have killed. That wasn't anything new.

Women had a way of vanishing. Here today and gone tomorrow. He just needed to find a place to bury her that would keep her from being discovered.


	209. Chapter 209

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 209 Defective Confession**

Scarlett had gone to sleep early. Jax suspected that was partly to escape any further relationship discussions and partly to escape the pain that had worsened when she pushed her body to its limits to get help to Tristen.

Over the last couple of years, he'd gotten lazy. Most of the girls he was with were crow-eaters. Other than Scarlett, he couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a girl and pursued her.

That was what a lot of girls didn't get. If they didn't value themselves, guys wouldn't either. A guy wanted to feel like the girl was a prize worth winning and not someone who gave herself to every guy. That was why a crow-eater rarely made it to old lady. Wendy had been one of the few exceptions.

Scarlett's refusal to have sex with him, just made him more determined to pursue her. As he got to know her, he wanted to spend more time with her because he enjoyed her company. It wasn't all about sex.

He woke up and noticed that Scarlett wasn't in bed. She wasn't in the bathroom. He got up to look for her. After having to rescue her from the bathtub, he needed to make sure that she was OK and not collapsed on the floor somewhere unable to get up.

He found her sitting in the darkness at the breakfast bar looking out at the water, the room lit only by two lights on the patio.

"Are you OK?"

"I'm just waiting for the second round of pain medication to kick in."

Jax took a seat at the breakfast bar next to Scarlett.

"I wanted to make sure that you hadn't had an accident and needed help."

"As long as I stay out of the bathtub, I should be OK. I made hot chocolate. It's in the fridge if you want some."

"It's nice watching the sun rise over the water."

Scarlett nodded and drank some hot chocolate. She stared into her cup avoiding looking at Jax.

"I was thinking about our conversation earlier. I'm not sure I got it right, but it sounded to me like you want me to fall in love with you."

That was definitely a unique way to phrase that question. He wondered how long it had taken her to think it up.

"You got it right."

"Why?"

"Falling in love works out best if two people are doing it together."

Scarlett still avoided looking at Jax. She finished her hot chocolate and put the mug down on the bar.

"It seems like I'm always talking about my ex. That experience left some deep scars. It was more than four years ago, but I'm not healed. After I discovered the truth about my ex, I had to pretend that I didn't care. That meant I still had to sleep with him. I didn't want to arouse his suspicions.

"His touch, everything about him was repulsive. I thought that once I was free of him, I could go back to who I was before, but I was too naïve. I made myself go out on dates here and there. When guys would try to hold my hand or kiss me, all the revulsion came back."

"Sometimes it takes awhile to heal."

"That wasn't it," Scarlett bit her lip and looked down at her hands. "I felt defective. I never got healed. That revulsion never left."

Scarlett's words hit him like a punch to the gut. She must be one hell of an actress because he thought she enjoyed their romantic moments. He thought back and couldn't recall any clues that she wasn't feeling some attraction to him.

"Do you feel that way with me?"

Scarlett shook her head slowly, her eyes still fixed on her hands.

"You're the first guy I've let touch me in more than four years. You're the first guy that doesn't make my skin crawl," Scarlett whispered her confession so softly Jax could barely hear her.

Her words caught at his heart. He suspected that he was falling in love with her, but after her confession he knew he was in love with her. He wanted to protect her, cherish her and keep her safe. Damn, he must be losing his mind in addition to his heart. He could even see them getting married.

"I'm sorry for what that bastard put you through."

"I'm OK. I think I'm going to get some sleep now."

They both stood up. Scarlett walked up to the patio doors and stared out the windows watching the sun rise painting the water red and orange.

Jax walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. They stood there for a moment watching the sun bring the day to life.

"I've felt numb inside for so long I've grown to like it. It feels good to feel nothing. I don't know if I want to have feelings."

Jax tightened his arms around Scarlett and kissed the side of her head.

"You can't control whether or not you fall in love."

Scarlett turned to face him.

"You sound like my father."

"I'm a big fan of your dad."

"You scare the hell out of me. I don't know if I'm brave enough to have feelings. Numbness is safer."

"You see feelings as something bad. Feelings can be good."

"I might be too damaged inside. I might not ever be able to have feelings for you or anyone else."

Despite Scarlett's words, Jax knew that she was falling in love with him. That was why she was so afraid.

"I won't push you. We'll figure this out together."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"I'm a biker. I'm tough," Jax said flexing the muscles on his arms.

She laughed.

Later that night just as Jax was about to close his eyes to sleep, he realized that when Scarlett said he was the first man that she had let touch her in more than four years, that meant that she hadn't had _sex_ in four years.

Scarlett was in desperate need of some Jax Teller sex magic.

 _ **Future Predictions**_ _ **Within a couple of chapters, Jax is going to find Scarlett in bed with another man. Was she playing him or will she be able to fast talk her way out of it? Or is this part of her plan to back him off?**_


	210. Chapter 210

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 210 Love Interest**

Tara got a burger, fries and a Coke at the hospital cafeteria Sunday afternoon. She'd had a long and difficult emergency surgery assisting Dr. Namid. He was having another off day. It made the surgery more nerve wracking than usual.

For now, all she wanted was to eat her lunch, head home and take a nap. She hadn't slept much last night. She kept thinking about how Scarlett had saved Tristen from being gang raped by carnival workers. She couldn't dismiss her anymore as just another empty headed blonde that would quickly bore Jax. She might have to face the unpleasant truth that she had lost him forever.

She was thinking like high school Tara again. She was always jumping to conclusions with little or no evidence. She would get herself all worked up over nothing especially when it came to Jax.

It was always did he look at that girl like he might like her? Did he look down the front of that girl's top because she had bigger breasts? Why was he talking to that girl? Was he making a date with her? She had driven herself crazy.

She had tried to control some of her crazy by not fighting with Jax over every little thing, but they did have fights over girls. Even now, she didn't know how much jealousy was earned and how much was just her insecurity altering her view of reality.

When they split, she'd actually felt like a weight was lifted off her shoulders. Jealous crazy Tara was gone. She didn't have to live with the fear that Jax was going to dump her. Back then, it seemed like every day she was sure that would be the day when Jax would look at her and realize he was Jax Teller and he could do a hell of a lot better than Tara Knowles.

Coming back to Charming was a mistake. Professionally, she could recover, but it was the mental toll on her that was the problem. All the old feelings from high school came flooding back.

Back then, she'd hated herself, the town and just about everything else except Jax. Not much had changed except instead of hating high school, she hated work. She thought she'd grown up but at the core, she feared she was still the same old Tara.

"Do you mind if I sit with you?"

"No."

Few women would have turned this guy down. He wasn't Jax Teller hot, but Charming was a small town and Jax filled the town's quota of lethally hot guys.

He was an inch or two under six feet with red hair, freckles and hazel eyes. Tara estimated he was around thirty and probably single since he wasn't wearing a wedding ring.

For the first time in a long time, she felt her heart beat a little faster. This guy might be exactly what she needed.

Damn. There she was doing it again and acting like old Tara and jumping to conclusions. She was already imaging a romance before the guy could even put his tray down on the table.

Maybe what she really needed was some counseling. She'd keep that option in mind if things didn't work out with the guy at her table.

 _Is this the guy that will mend Tara's broken heart or will he cause her more heartache?_


	211. Chapter 211

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 211 Love Coward**

Scarlett hoped that the memory of having a deep emotional discussion about falling in love was a dream, but she knew that it had happened. On the rare occasions when she got drunk, she made sure she kept her mouth shut to avoid embarrassing conversations.

She should have applied what she had learned about drinking to taking pain medication. That conversation she'd had with Jax had been too honest. Emotions scared the hell out of her. Somehow after a second round of pain meds and sleeping pills, relationship discussions seemed like a good idea. No more talking to Jax after taking medication. She would just close her eyes and wait for sleep or watch DVDs and not say anything. She'd just keep her lips together and then she couldn't talk.

Jax said more or less that he was falling in love with her. That was kind of good. At least she wasn't doing it alone. He'd said falling in love works best when two people are doing it together.

Her heart was practically beating out of her chest with fear and excitement when he said that last night. It wasn't the same kind of fear she got from a roller coaster. With a roller coaster, the heights and speed were frightening. She could make herself go on the ride despite feeling terror because she knew that it was safe. It wouldn't lead to her plummeting to her death.

With love, she might not fall to her death, but her heart could get shattered. She wished that she could be more like her friends in high school and college. They could be in love one week with a guy and in love with another guy the next week. Or, they would be with one guy and look for his replacement because to them love was never being without a guy.

She'd read too many romance novels in junior high and high school. She'd also seen too many Hallmark movies. Those girls were lucky to get a kiss before the movie ended. Sex made things more complicated. She needed to just take it a step at a time and quit thinking about the future.

Jax was enjoying swimming in the lake. Scarlett was sitting outside under an umbrella that Jax had adjusted to keep the sun off her so her fair skin didn't fry in the sun. She was beginning to relax. When disaster happened, she'd deal with it. For now, she was going to stay in the moment and enjoy this time.

For dinner, Jax played cook grilling chicken, microwaving Southern style green beans with bacon and onions and twice baked potatoes all from the house's well stocked freezer. Scarlett thought after the big relationship discussion things would be awkward between them, but it wasn't; conversation flowed effortlessly between them.

They had just finished eating when he got a call from Clay telling him that there was another interview with the local Fox station. They wanted to do it from inside the clubhouse. The story of rough, tough, outlaw bikers saving a kid from rapists was picking up traction on social media and the internet. Clay had gotten the interview scheduled so that Jax would be back in Charming to participate.

"I'm sure Gemma will be ordering around the crow-eaters to clean the place up."

"I don't think people expect an outlaw biker's clubhouse to be clean."

"She'll still want it clean. The good publicity is a nice change from the usual "bikers busted in barroom brawl."

"Have you ever been busted in a barroom brawl?"

"A time or two," Jax said chuckling. "Sometimes you just need to have a brawl to keep your fight skills current."

Sometimes Scarlett didn't know when Jax was joking. This was one of those times. She liked knowing that he could take care of himself unlike her psycho ex who depended on a security detail disguised as assistants. That confident masculine side to his personality was irresistible to her. Damn him. Why did he have to be so sexy?

"Maybe I should get your autograph now before you and the guys get famous. Who knows maybe you could get a reality show out of it."

Jax shook his head.

"I don't understand this insatiable need people have to be on TV or share every moment of their lives on social media," he said. He began to walk slowly towards her. "I have only one insatiable need."

Scarlett's face flushed and her heart beat hard and fast in her chest.

"I know like those people that posted that picture on the internet."

"What are you going to do about it? I thought you would be more worried."

Scarlett smiled.

"No. My dad and I came up with a plan a few months ago. We've taken a bunch of pictures of me and of girls that resemble me. I'll go or he'll go to a library to use their computers and post some pictures. Some we swap out their head for mine. We'll post a few and that way there's a better match to me. If my psycho ex's seen the picture despite how briefly it was up, we'll give him better leads on my location to follow."

"Clever. Damn you might be a better outlaw than me. Last night when you told me that other guys made your skin crawl, does that mean you like it when I touch you or do you just tolerate it?"

Jax took a step forward and Scarlett automatically took a step back. Her heart pounded harder in her chest.

"I've been dodging guys' hands since I was twelve and grew breasts. If I didn't want you to touch me, you wouldn't have touched me."

"I remember the first time I kissed you and how you put your hand on my chest. It was a very smooth move."

"Are you saying I outmaneuvered you?"

"I'm letting you set the pace."

Scarlett's eyes automatically looked for a door. She felt like they were headed into a minefield. Be brave, she scolded herself.

"I can't kiss standing up for long because it makes my back hurt and it's hard sitting because of the twisting."

Jax took a couple more slow steps until he was practically touching her. There was something about that self-assured swing of his hips that melted her insides.

"I have an idea. We could go to the couch. You could lay down with your back supported by the cushions."

Scarlett's eyes went back to the door.

"I'm not going to have sex with you."

"If I'd wanted sex, I would have suggested the bedroom," Jax said. "I was thinking of making out on the couch. We could even put a pillow between us."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah. I meant it when I said you are setting the pace. I'm not with you for sex. It isn't that hard to find. I'm with _you_ because I want to be with _you_. Now what do you say?"

Scarlett's brain was screaming at her to say no and runaway, but this time her body might be in charge.


	212. Chapter 212

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 212 Dead Baby**

 _ **Breaking News!** **I saw on the internet that Charlie Hunnam and Ryan Hurst are appearing at Comic Con in the Motor City in May 2019 and are leading a class in yoga.** **Still can't stop laughing and it's true!**_

 _ **I hope it's recorded. I really hope it's recorded. Maybe not. It could destroy the fantasy. I'm sure the class will be packed with . . . women.**_

To say Dr. Carl Namid was angry would have been an understatement. His face was bright red and he was pounding his fist on the desk in his home office.

"There would have been a damned dead baby if Dr. Knowles hadn't been called in to assist me," he shouted.

Margaret Murphy, aka The Red Bitch, stood up and leaned over the desk.

"Well, you can't blame this one on me," she hissed. "I didn't do the scheduling. I thought you were supposed to have a plan to deal with her."

"I do. I just put it in place."

"Well, it was too late for today and we don't have the dead baby we need," Margaret replied. She returned to her seat in the desk chair opposite Carl.

"Well, I can't just pull a dead baby out of my ass. Tell them they are just going to have to wait or they can go murder a kid."

He poured himself another glass of Scotch. His hands were shaking. Margaret looked at him frowning.

"Are you going to be able to keep that under control?"

"Don't worry about me. Just a couple more months."

"You want that golden retirement, you better stay focused."

"Get me another sick baby and make sure Knowles isn't assisting," Carl said. "That damned dumb bitch. She thinks she's such a fucking talented surgeon. That baby that didn't die has at best two years left to live. During that time, the baby will be in pain every single second, of every single day until his body gives out.

"The parents will end up getting divorced and end up bankrupt from all the extras the baby needs but insurance doesn't cover. It's a fucking tragedy."

"The baby doesn't have any chance of a normal life?"

"No and it will be hell for the baby and the family. It was a perfect baby for us."

"Well, maybe we'll get lucky and some baby will fall into a swimming pool and die. Neat and clean with no worries about a malpractice suit."

"Malpractice suits don't matter to me," Carl said before downing his Scotch in one long gulp.

"Some of us still have to worry about that," Margaret said tartly.

"You'll be on to the next job in a year or so. It won't be an issue for you."

Margaret looked longingly at the Scotch bottle.

"I wish I didn't have to go back home to my idiot husband and my two kids from hell. I wish I'd had abortions."

"As soon as I'm done here, I'm going to open a med spa in a Southern state with restrictive abortion laws. I'm going to do secret abortions and sell the fetal tissue. A year or two at that and I'm buying an island. I'm going to have young beautiful barely legal girls attend to my _every_ wish."

"Keep the kink in check while you're here. A sex scandal could destroy our plan."

"Nothing is getting in the way of our plan including Dr. Knowles. You have my guarantee on that."

Carl poured himself another glass of Scotch while Margaret let herself out of his house. He looked at the clock on his desk and decided to give it another hour before checking in on the status of his plan for Dr. Knowles.


	213. Chapter 213

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 213 Mmmm Kisses**

Spending hours kissing with Jax Teller was the most enjoyable and magical experience of Scarlett's life. If sex were half as good, she might experience what she's had to fake in the past. Her body might explode with pleasure and she would be OK with that.

He had with great gentleness helped her down onto the couch and arranged the pillows behind her to support her back. It was hard to reconcile this sweet, romantic man with the image of a tough, ruthless, outlaw biker. Instead, it just added to her fascination with him.

For a moment, she wondered if she were losing her mind. She'd seen documentaries about women who married serial killers after they had been convicted. These women protested their men weren't killers and would never hurt them. She hoped she would never be that crazy.

She was still haunted by the dream that Jax had discovered her true identity. She needed to keep in mind that Jax's loyalty would always be to his MC. Her mother thought having Clay's daughter gave her some protection from getting killed. She'd seen firsthand how that had worked out.

With Jax's strong arms around her, it would be so easy to believe that he would never hurt her. She felt safe when he held her in those powerful well-muscled arms, her head resting on his chest feeling the beat of his heart under her cheek.

She'd never felt that craving for physical closeness before Jax. Now, she couldn't get enough of it. Or him, to be more accurate.

He kissed her slow and gentle building up to a harder, more passionate intimate kiss. She smiled touching her lips. They were dry from all the kissing. Her body practically hummed with happiness. The pain was still there in the background like elevator music. It wasn't so bad if it came with Jax Teller kisses.

What the hell was wrong with her? She was sounding like a damned romance novelist and they were the least talented of all writers.

Jax had spent some time kissing her. That was no big deal. No, it was a very big deal. It had been amazing. How could things go wrong? They were falling in love and a happy ending was their destiny.

That was it. She was delusional, but if she knew she were delusional did that make her really delusional?

Delusional people didn't know they were delusional. OK. She might not be delusional, but romance with Jax couldn't end well.

Maybe it could end well. Maybe they could find a way to get happiness together. Now, she _was_ delusional.

Life was just too damned complicated sometimes. Better to think of wonderful things like Jax kissing her.

 _ **Author's Note: I mentioned a few chapters ago that Jax finds Scarlett in bed with another guy. It's still happening but as I laid out this next plot arc, the timing got changed. It's still a few chapters away.**_


	214. Chapter 214

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 214 Date Review**

Tara's chance meeting with the redheaded guy at the hospital had led to brunch the next day at Grandma's. It was a cozy, romantic restaurant that served classic American food with a French twist.

Over Belgian waffles, he told her that he'd returned to Charming about six months ago to take care of his aunt, his only living relative. He cared for her as long as he was able, but as her health continued to decline, she needed a higher level of care than he could provide.

She had spent the last couple of months of her life living in an assisted living facility that the hospital ran. He'd visited her almost everyday and gotten to know all the residents. He still dropped in from time to time to visit the residents, play cards and listen to their stories. He told Tara it helped keep his aunt's memory alive.

She had left him everything including her house. He was still weighing a decision to sell the place or stay in Charming. As a writer and illustrator of children's books, he had the luxury of being able to live anywhere.

Tara discovered being a neonatal surgeon had some surprisingly bad points. She'd been out with a couple of guys who needed to make themselves feel superior to her by belittling her appearance, what she said and just about everything else about her. It took her a couple of dates before she realized the guys were insecure losers. At least that experience had given her the experience to screen this type of guy out before it got to the date stage.

Eric seemed genuinely interested and impressed with her work. He didn't seem like the type who felt threatened by her success. That was one thing about Jax; he had always been proud of her intelligence. No more thinking about Jax, she scolded herself.

There was another thing about Eric that she found endearing; he was shy. He had been visiting some of his aunt's friends at the long term care facility and had impulsively decided to grab a bite to eat at the hospital cafeteria. When he saw her sitting alone, he acted again on impulse and asked to sit with her.

It was such a pleasant change to see a man who was shy and not always perfectly self-confident like all male surgeons and Jax. Damn, she'd done it again and thought about Jax.

Tara reminded herself to expect less. She'd never believed in the whole love at first sight myth. Looks might provide an initial attraction but love required more than just liking how someone looked.

She needed to just calm down and give her friendship with Eric a chance to evolve without putting crippling pressure on herself to fall in love with him. Relax, get to know him and enjoy. She repeated the words over and over again.

Most of all don't compare Eric to Jax.


	215. Chapter 215

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 215 Physio Begins**

Scarlett transformed herself into Annie Olson with short brown hair and dark brown eyes. She finished her make up that made her look less attractive. She had pulled on a loose fitting pair of light gray sweats for her appointment.

"Annie Olson," Jax said looking at her.

"That's me. I hate wigs. I'm always afraid I'm going to get it tilted or something and my real hair will slip out."

"I'll monitor your wig situation."

"Thank you."

He pulled her close and kissed her lightly.

"Today, you don't kiss the same."

"Annie isn't as good a kisser as I am because she hasn't benefited from all your amazing tutoring from last night."

"You could use a lot more tutoring. Too bad I've got that interview tonight and stuff with the MC."

"That's OK. I'm sure I can find another tutor."

"I'm the only tutor you're ever going to need, darlin'."

Jax wasn't a jealous or possessive guy. In the MC, sometimes they passed a girl around. He'd never before felt a need to have a girl be his exclusively. Tara had been different because she had been his first girlfriend and Wendy had been different because she was his wife. Scarlett was just different.

Scarlett looked sexy as hell, but she wasn't a slut. She was a beguiling mix of innocence and sex appeal that he didn't want any other man discovering or exploring.

"Maybe the problem is with you. Without all your MC stuff you don't kiss the same."

"MC stuff? You mean my cut? That's a sacred piece of clothing. It isn't just stuff."

"OK," Scarlett said smiling at his outrage.

"I wasn't wearing my cut when I kissed you last night."

"I guess it's my fault," Scarlett said with a dramatic sigh.

Jax had also changed his appearance. Gone were the jeans, T-shirt, white sneaks and cut. He was wearing black pants with a black and white striped button front shirt and black boots. He'd stuffed his blonde hair under a white baseball cap and wore wraparound black sunglasses to conceal his eyes and the color that always drew attention.

He drove Scarlett's Corvette to where he'd parked the Ford Crown Vic that he'd bought with her money. They switched cars and went to the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) so Scarlett could register the car in Annie's name. It only took an hour and a half which was speedy for California.

He insisted that Scarlett wait in the car until he was near the front of the line. He knew it was too painful for her to have to stand for that long.

They ate lunch before going to the physiotherapy center. It was in a medium sized building filled with medical offices. Jax watched an elderly man walking with two canes. He was walking faster and more smoothly than Scarlett.

He remained in the waiting room while Scarlett met her physiotherapist. When she finished her appointment, he was a little disappointed that she wasn't any better physically. He knew it was going to take awhile because she wanted him to drive her to her appointments for six to eight weeks.

"How did your appointment go?"

"I like my therapist. She knows what she's doing and she's good with back injuries. It's going to take time and therapy, but I'll get better. It's just inconvenient."

"I don't mind at all."

They switched the Crown Vic for the Corvette and drove to the lake house to change before returning to Charming. Jax still needed to find a place for the Crown Vic or come up with some kind of alternative.

"Are you guys all going to dress alike for your interview?"

"Like a uniform? We'll wear our cuts."

"Because they are sacred," Scarlett added.

"You are a fast learner except when it comes to kissing."

"I'm even worse at sex," Scarlett said.

"I guess I'll never find out about that since you aren't ever going to have sex with me."

"Now _, you're_ learning," she said and patted his knee.


	216. Chapter 216

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 216 Great Expectations**

Joshua Kohn wasn't having a bad day, a bad week or even a bad month; he was having a bad year. He wasn't exactly suspended from his ATF job. It was more of a mandatory suggested vacation for three months without pay. He still had his badge and gun and that's what really mattered. Bureaucratic bastards.

He might have cut a few corners, but he was a damned good agent. Highest clearance rate in the office. There was no one who could interrogate a suspect like he. He was clever and smooth and he got _real_ confessions. A lot of agents got confessions, but he got confessions without physical violence—well, none that left marks anyway. That in itself was a rare talent.

His love life was in the toilet. That wasn't unusual, but he thought he had finally found the woman who completed him, The One, his soulmate, his missing puzzle piece in the beautiful intelligent Dr. Tara Knowles. Tara had dumped his ass. She'd said that he was too possessive.

She didn't understand that he wasn't possessive just passionate about her. She didn't know what it was to be loved by a _real_ man. The only other man that had ever loved her was that human piece of shit Jax Teller—a motorbike riding, law disrespecting thug.

He had loved her completely and totally. His intensity overwhelmed her. He'd scared her so much she got a bullshit restraining order against him. He got a little physically passionate, but it wasn't domestic violence. It was domestic romance.

A little thought and he would come up with a plan to get his career and Tara back. He would probably need two plans one for his job and one for Tara. His mind had gone blank. He couldn't think of one plan let alone two.

He grabbed the remote, turned on the television and saw Jax Teller. _What the hell was going on?_ Why was Jax Teller on TV? Thinking was a little tricky after drinking half a bottle of vodka. He just needed to focus.

Jax Teller was still on his TV screen. Josh or Joshy as Tara used to call him during their tender more intimate moments turned up the volume. There was Jax Teller with his entire gang of thugs and they weren't in jail or even in handcuffs. Son of a bitch! They were heroes. They had saved a kid from being gang raped. Son of a bitch!

The reporter was a typical TV reporter. She was attractive in a plain generic way, pretty enough to be a flight attendant but not hot enough to be a contestant on the _Bachelorette_. She had shoulder length dirty blonde hair and brown eyes with thick black winged eyeliner. She was leaning so close to Teller she was practically in his lap. She had her hand on his arm and he was smiling at her like she was Little Red Riding Hood and he was the Big Bad Wolf. He'd probably screw her as soon as the interview was over.

"Get a haircut!" he yelled at the TV screen, his words slurred. He hurled his empty vodka glass at the wall. "Fucking biker. Piece of shit!"

All these damned guys with their non-regulation haircuts and facial hair. They were a bunch of damned hoodlums. They thought they looked so bad and cool with their stupid leather vests. They probably weren't real leather. They were probably that fake plastic pleather shit.

Tara had never shown him a picture of Jax; he had found some old mug shots. They didn't do him justice. This TV version of Jax Teller was movie star handsome with his long shaggy blonde hair and bright sky blue eyes, but there was more to him than that.

Josh thought of Jax as stupid, but watching how he handled the interview caused him to change his opinion. This guy was smart. He might not know the difference between the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, but he was shrewd and cunning. Maybe this explained why despite arrests, he had a clean criminal record without even a parking ticket.

He had some quality that drew women to him. Maybe it was charm, sex appeal or just his looks, but women were drawn to this guy. He understood now why a smart girl like Tara could fall under the spell of Jax Teller.

Teller was explaining that he and his motorcycle club were attending a carnival in Charming when a friend of the MC told him of seeing a young child being taken into the woods by a group of men. He and his MC decided they should check it out.

"Did they just all run away when they saw you?" the reporter asked.

The men chuckled.

"Not exactly," Jax said.

"But they wished they had," Bobby said.

Everyone roared with laughter including the reporter.

"Was there a fight?" the reporter prompted.

"We had to use _reasonable_ force to free the child," Jax said.

"Reasonable," Tig said. " _Only_ reasonable force."

The MC guys had a few cuts and bruises on their faces and hands, which just enhanced the whole heroes rescuing a kid story.

The segment ended, but Josh's rage was just beginning. Here he was a dedicated ATF agent who risked his life to protect the people living in this country and this lawless biker thug was hailed as a hero. Where the fuck was the fairness?

He threw a book at the wall followed by pillows, a couple of candles and his alarm clock. It wasn't enough, not nearly enough. He kicked the walls. He'd learned from experience not to hit the walls with his hands. It caused work issues.

All the anger and physical activity had churned up his stomach and he failed to turn the corner into the bathroom in time. He vomited pizza and vodka all over his bedroom carpet. It was a disgusting mess.

He got the comparison that the puke on the carpet was a lot like his life and he also got that pizza and vodka tasted better going down than they did coming up. He really hadn't needed that lesson.

He rinsed is mouth, drank some more vodka and reluctantly cleaned up the carpet vomit. He threw the paper towels in the trash and thought some more about the heroic Jax Teller.

That's when it finally hit him. He had it—the plan to save his ATF career and get Tara back. It was even sort of one plan. He was going to fly to California and investigate Jax Teller. He was an outlaw biker and there were rumors that his MC sold guns.

There had never been any evidence of gun dealing, but that didn't mean anything. He was going to get to the bottom of outlaw Jax Teller and lock that son of a bitch up. He would not only get his ATF career back maybe he would finally get his own team to run.

He knew Tara had gone back to Charming hoping to be with Teller. He'd put a stop to that and get Tara back. Once he exposed Teller's law breaking, Tara would see that she'd been living in some crazy high school fantasy and Teller was nothing more than a common criminal.

Teller's good looks would make him a popular inmate. Josh laughed. He'd be bedding Tara while Teller was Big Willie's bride or he'd be passed around his cell block for a few cigarettes or some commissary credits.

The only thing the press liked better than making a man into a hero was tearing that man down and exposing him. He would be the one talking on TV about how he brought down the Sons of Anarchy MC.

Soon, he would have Tara back and he would put Jax Teller's ass in jail along with his hoodlum brothers. He was going to get the beautiful life he deserved.

Josh celebrated his bright future by partly drinking and partly spilling the last of his vodka. When he passed out he had a smile on his face.

"***************************************************"

 _Author's Note: David Hale has mentioned ATF, but it will be mentioned in another chapter that this was related to the gun warehouse being blown up and has nothing to do with Josh Kohn. I don't want there to be any confusion._


	217. Chapter 217

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 217 Scarlett Danger**

Clay watched Jax hold court with the MC. The guys were still riding high after the TV news interview at the clubhouse for saving Oswald's kid from getting raped. Gemma had gone into a frenzied overdrive before the news crew showed up drafting crow-eaters and friends of the club to help give the place a good cleaning.

He tried to tell her that no one expected at MC clubhouse to be immaculate, but he'd given up. It wouldn't hurt the clubhouse to get a good cleaning and the guys didn't have to do anything other than be a little inconvenienced.

His time on camera for that interview had been reduced to seconds now that the more photogenic and younger Jax Teller was available. He knew he was being a little unfair to Jax since Jax had actually been the one leading the guys when they beat the shit out of a bunch of kiddie rapists. He wished it had been him, but he got that Jax had to act quickly to save the kid. It was all good because Elliott Oswald owed the MC big and the positive press was great for the club's image.

Jax was smart. He knew exactly how to play the hero with the news media while keeping up the image of an outlaw biker. Once Clay found out the news station was sending a woman for the interview, he knew Jax would work his magic on the woman. He'd never seen a woman resist Jax successfully.

After the interview was over, he saw the woman whisper something in Jax's ear and she went into the bathroom with him. They emerged a short time later. The woman's lipstick was freshly re-applied. Clay had seen it too many times to miss the signs. He wondered if the woman appreciated the clean floor she had just been kneeling on. Clay needed to focus on his problems and not his stepson's sex life.

Right now, the only thing he knew about Bucky was he wasn't dead. He would take care of getting Bucky killed, but for now, he needed to focus on his probable daughter, Scarlett.

He needed to get rid of her as soon as possible. All she would have to do was walk into Hale's office and tell him how she watched him kill her mother and he'd get his ass locked up. He didn't know why she hadn't gone to the police. Maybe she was planning to shake him down for money or she was planning some other form of revenge. She could even be planning to kill him.

He decided it didn't matter why she wasn't going to the police. She was the tie to her mother's murder. Once he killed her, he would never have to worry about getting arrested for Eden's murder again.

There was another advantage to killing Scarlett; it would hurt Jax. He wouldn't kill the girl just to hurt Jax. He wasn't some crazy killer. He killed only when it was important to his or the MC's safety. Scarlett needed to die and the sooner the better.

 _Next: Jax shows up drunk with Half-Sack at Scarlett's hotel._


	218. Chapter 218

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 218 Cock Block**

After the reporter left, they had a round of drinks to celebrate their first ever MC TV interview before opening the clubhouse for an impromptu party. Usually they were scrambling trying to deal with negative attention. This was a great first for the club.

The guys had done a good job of backing up his story about a friend of the club telling him about seeing men taking a child into the woods. It was close to true. The reporter hadn't even bothered to ask the name of the friend of the club.

Tristen's name hadn't been released either. Reports either identified her as a child or a little girl. Names of victims of attempted sexual assaults weren't released. Elliot wouldn't have to use his power and money to keep that secret.

"Prospect!" Jax yelled.

He didn't bother looking for Half-Sack. As a prospect, it was one of a prospect's duties to always be alert to a member's calling out for him. Half-Sack trotted up to Jax.

"No more alcohol or drugs for you tonight. I'm going to get very, very, _very_ drunk. I'm not going to be able to ride. You are going to bring me home."

"In the van or the tow truck or a bike?"

"Do you think I would ride bitch with you? Or anyone?" Jax's blue eyes narrowed sternly. "Figure it out."

"I'll bring you to your house in the tow truck."

Jax frowned to keep from smiling. Terrorizing the prospects never got old. After all the shit he and Opie went through, he savored dishing out hell.

"I might want to go say good night to Scarlett, so you might need to bring me by her room. If we go by her motel, you treat her with _respect_."

"If there's a guy in her room . . ."

Jax punched Half-Sack, a quick, hard jab to the gut. It wasn't designed to double him over in pain. It was a corrective punch.

"What part of respect don't you understand?"

"Sorry. My mistake. Respect means respect," Half-Sack said quickly.

"You think she's some whore?"

Half-Sack quickly shook his head.

"No. Absolutely not."

Jax was shocked by Half-Sack's suggestion that there might be a man in Scarlett's room. There were certain things in life he was sure of and he was sure that Scarlett didn't have men in her motel room.

"Now, here's the hard part. It is really important. During the party and all of my time in the clubhouse tonight, you are to keep my dick from any contact with a female."

"When you say contact does that mean . . ." Half-Sack broke off when he saw a look of annoyance cross Jax's face.

"Contact means _any_ contact. I better not pass out and wake up in the clubhouse draped in crow-eaters."

"I won't let that happen to you," Half-Sack said. "Am I supposed to be protecting you from them or them from you?"

"Why the hell would I want you to protect a girl from my dick?"

"Sorry," Half-Sack said quickly.

"Think before you speak. You are also not to allow me to be alone with a girl in this clubhouse tonight."

"You will not wake up here and I am to block your cock."

Jax raised an eyebrow and frowned.

"Block?"

"Protect it from girls."  
Jax nodded his head approvingly.

"Now you got it, prospect," Jax said punching him in the arm playfully this time.

After his last sexual encounter with a crow-eater, he still wasn't feeling right about it. He'd used condoms as usual so it wasn't a physical concern. It was more mental.

When Scarlett confessed that he was the first man in four years that didn't make her skin crawl, he'd felt even worse about his sexual encounter with Connie the crow-eater. He even felt a little bad over the blow job the reporter had given him in the bathroom after the interview. Blow jobs weren't considered sex in his world and that had been more about making a useful contact for the MC than anything else.

He was giving some serious thought to not having sex with crow-eaters for a couple of weeks until he could figure out things with Scarlett or have sex with her. He was hoping for both.

His tasking Half-Sack with keeping his dick from landing in a crow-eater was about screwing with the prospect. He wasn't worried that he couldn't control his dick. He had control; he just didn't use it unless he was with someone special enough that made him want to use it.

That had been one of the problems with Wendy. When he was with Wendy, he hadn't cared about being faithful to her. He married her too quickly out of pathetic loneliness. By the time he discovered the depth of her meth addiction, it was too late. There was an irony that the woman he'd married out of loneliness made him feel more lonely when they were together because she was so strung out on meth he could have set himself on fire and she wouldn't have noticed.

When they first hooked up, he loved her energy and insatiable sexual desire. He hadn't wanted to see that crank was driving her behavior. He didn't want to think anymore about Wendy. She was dead. There was nothing to do about her now. He had already learned that lesson and accepted that he'd failed her as a husband. He had owed her more.

Jax smiled as he downed another beer. Soon, they would open the clubhouse and the party would begin. The prospect would have to show him that he had his back and he would discover just how good he was at cock blocking. 


	219. Chapter 219

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 219 Block Prospect!**

Half-Sack had no idea why Jax didn't want his dick to come into contact with any females, but as a prospect, it was his job to carry out orders—just like the military and not to ask questions—also just like the military.

He didn't have any family except SAMCRO. The MC was everything to him. He had just over a hundred days left as a prospect. That patch was so close, but having to watch over Jax scared him shitless.

Every task given to him was a test. Failure could result in his prospect status being terminated immediately especially since this task was from Jax.

Jax wanted to find out if he could depend on him to have his back and getting patched could come down to the next couple of hours and keeping Jax's dick out of females' hands and all other body parts. He was going to succeed no matter the cost.

He reminded himself that he was tough. He'd survived Iraq. He'd had one of his balls blown off by an IED for God's sake. Watching Jax for a couple of hours should be a piece of cake. He was so screwed.

Worrying wasn't going to keep Jax's dick from falling into the clutches of a woman. Vigilance was mission critical. He needed some kind of plan to safeguard it. He thought furiously trying to come up with some tactic he could use if contact were imminent. Shit! Too late!

First in the door rushed the porn stars from Cara Cara, the porn studio Lu-ann an imprisoned member's old lady ran. Half-Sack identified Ima as the biggest threat in the group. She was always draping herself over Jax like she was his personal blanket. A dozen or so crow-eaters came next. There was Connie the crow-eater Jax had gotten with last Friday night. He'd have to keep a close eye on her.

The MC's three hang arounds, Miles, Rat and Filthy Phil were also at the party. While he was higher up on the MC food chain than the hang arounds, he didn't have any authority to order them around. He wouldn't be able to use them in carrying out his mission.

Jax was three deep in women and working on his fourth beer. He had already consumed multiple shots of whiskey, some moonshine stuff Bobby had got from a friend in Kentucky.

There was a new girl in the mix, Cherry a compact little brunette who was visiting a crow-eater friend. She was inching her way towards Jax and, by the predatory look in Jax's eyes, he might have to do some blocking at any second.

Jax had taken Cherry's hand in his and that's when Half-Sack was struck by a thought, not as bad as not getting patched, but still horrible. Suppose Jax _put_ the girl's hand on his dick? Was he supposed to block that since Jax initiated the contact?

Half-Sack thought back over to Jax's instructions and he had said _any_ contact. Any contact meant any contact unless Jax didn't want it to mean that. Jax was smiling at her and was holding her hand against his abs. Just a few inches. Her hand began to move downward getting dangerously close to the danger zone.

He was drinking Coke from a large glass packed with ice. It was full of life shortening amounts of sugar with none of that Stevia crap. He'd been blown up in Iraq. He did not fear sugar.

He walked over to Jax and Cherry, faked a trip over his feet and dumped his Coke all over Cherry. Not even a drop of Coke splashed on Jax.

"Sorry," he said to Cherry. "Tripped."

"I'm sticky," she complained.

"I could help you with that," Jax volunteered. "We've got a shower in an apartment in the clubhouse. I'll lather you up."

She wouldn't be the first girl Jax had lathered up, but there was not going to be any lathering on his watch.

"Clay's outside," Half-Sack said. "He wanted the two of us to talk to him. Something important."

"Go to the bar and tell the big guy to give you a couple of towels and a Sons T-shirt. You can change your top and wash up in the bathroom," Jax said.

"Thanks," she said to Jax smiling. She frowned at Half-Sack and walked to the bar.

Jax and Sack walked out of the clubhouse.

"Clay's not really out here," Half-Sack said.

"No shit," Jax said. "He left twenty minutes ago. Damn, I could use a smoke."

"I could go and get you one from the clubhouse."

"And leave my dick unguarded?"

"No," Half-Sack said shaking his head quickly. "I wouldn't do that."

"Let's go back inside. I'm not drunk yet."

Jax got to at least a good buzz after quickly downing four shots of Patron in rapid succession. Connie walked up to Jax, an eager smile on her face.

"You were so great in that interview. You knew just what to say."

"Just said what happened."

"It was so great that you beat all those guys up."

Sack looked nervously at Connie. He was standing near the bar, but he had no idea what the other guys were doing. His focus was solely on Jax and keeping his dick free of females.

Connie was getting close to Jax and starting to push up on him. He couldn't use the drink routine again, but he had to do something quickly. She was getting too close to his dick.

Time to act. He didn't have a great plan, but he couldn't think of one so this was the best he could do.

"Hey, Connie!" Sack said. "Some guy outside said he needs to talk to you about one of your kids and child support."

Connie hesitated before being drawn outside by the lure of child support.

"That was the best you could do?"

"Worked."

"More alcohol."

After another trio of shots, Jax was close to his goal of being very, very, very drunk. It was less about the quantity of alcohol and more about the speed in which it was consumed.

"Sack, get me a beer," Jax demanded.

Ima tottering on her clear plastic stripper heels bumped into Cherry who had cleaned herself up and was proudly wearing her Sons T-shirt.

"Watch it," Ima hissed. "You're in my way."

"You walked into me," Cherry said.

"You shouldn't even be here," Ima said.

Ima was the biggest porn star at Cara Cara and she was just throwing her weight around. Cherry didn't even have crow-eater status. Sack felt sorry for Cherry. Ima was a nasty tempered bitch.

Sack turned away from Jax briefly while he grabbed a beer mug and dispensed the beer from the keg. When he turned back, he couldn't believe his eyes. Jax and Ima were heading into the bathroom, Jax's hand on Ima's ass.

If they got into the bathroom, it would be over for him. He would have failed Jax. He had to stop them. He left the beer glass and sprinted towards the couple with no plan at all. He wasn't sure if he shouted "No!" or if that was only in his mind, but any hope he had of patching in was going to be gone if Jax and Ima got the bathroom door closed.

They were within a yard of the door. He had no choice. He would have to go airborne. He leaped into the air in a flying tackle, catching Ima around the waist and dragging her to the ground. Since she had been such a bitch to Cherry, he let her take the brunt of the impact of the tackle.

"What the hell!" Ima screamed.

"What is going on?" Jax demanded, his voice very slurred now.

"PTSD. Had a flashback. Thought she was a terrorist."

Jax laughed.

"Let's go, prospect. Time for me to go home."

Jax's words might have been heavily slurred but Sack had no problem understanding him. He was still a prospect. He had passed the test.

 **Next Chapter** _ **Drunk Jax turns up at Scarlett's motel room.**_


	220. Chapter 220

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 220 Long Lingering**

Scarlett was reading a nice cozy Agatha Christie murder mystery starring Hercule Poirot her favorite Christie sleuth when she got a text message from Jax. It read:

Sldjlfkj kljlkei Jjk

After very little thought, she typed:

Jkj mkejlkjl kjej kjelkjl.

She knew that Jax and the MC were having some quality bonding time to celebrate their TV interview. She didn't have a problem with that. They had saved Hale from a serious beating and saved little Tristen from rape and both of them from possible death. They deserved a celebration.

A few minutes later there was a knock at her door. She looked out the window and saw Jax being held upright by one of the MC guys she met that day at the sidewalk carnival.

She opened the door.

"Wanna say nigh t," Jax mumbled.

Scarlett stood aside and Sack helped Jax into her room.

"Scars . . . wanna say you are . . . boo," Jax shook his head forgetting the word. He tried three more times before Sack helped out and said "beautiful". That pleased Jax. He nodded his head and promptly fell down face first on her bed.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"Jax tasked me with bringing him home tonight, but he wanted to come by and say good night to you first."

Jax was taller and more heavily muscled than Half-Sack. It wouldn't be easy getting Jax up and back on this feet. Scarlett wasn't going to be able to help. Her back made trying to lift Jax impossible.

"What were you supposed to do after you got him home?"

"Watch him for a couple of hours to make sure he doesn't choke on vomit or get alcohol poisoning."

Sack looked exhausted. She didn't trust him to watch over Jax if he needed medical care. He was almost dead on his feet.

"You can leave him, but you need to roll him to his side and brace him so he can't roll face down or face up, so if he passes out, he won't choke to death on vomit, but if he throws up, he's sleeping in it."

"Don't do that. I'll give you my number and if he throws up, call me. I'll be over right away and clean everything."

Before Sack tried to move Jax, he took his shoes and belt off. Next he began to unbutton the fly of his pants.

"Stop right there," Scarlett said. "He's sleeping in his pants."

"Sorry. Didn't mean any harm or disrespect."

"Are you going to take off his vest?"

Scarlett knew the real name for it, but she wanted to gather information.

"It's not a vest. It's a cut. I would _never_ take his cut off him. It would be an insult to him and he would kick my ass. I could even get kicked out since I'm only a prospect."

"It's a different world," Scarlett said. "What's a prospect?"

"It's the step before becoming a patched in member. You start by hanging around the clubhouse for a year, a couple of years, you don't know how long it's up to the club. If you make a good impression, you get invited to prospect. It takes a minimum of one year and the vote has to be unanimous. When you're a patched member, the prospect word comes off and I'll get the full patch."

"What do you have to do as a prospect?"

"Anything they want. It's intense and I don't get much sleep."

"Go on home and get some sleep. I'll take care of Jax and I'll tell him I insisted."

"That's really nice of you. Could you also tell him that I was very respectful to you?"

"I'll do it."

"Thanks," he said. "Here's my number. If he pukes, let me know and I'll come immediately."

"Good night," Scarlett said.

Scarlett returned to bed and studied Jax. There had to be some way to have fun with Jax. She picked up her book and read a few chapters before coming up with an idea. It wasn't a unique idea, but it would be a nice way to pass a little time. She went into the bathroom and got her large eyeshadow palette, brushes and some water.

She'd made the mistake of buying a $5 36 eyeshadow palette. The colors were too shimmery and they vanished after about ten minutes of wear. She'd learned her lesson about buying cheap eyeshadow palettes. She was going to toss it, but she might as well have some fun.

She gently lifted Jax's T-shirt exposing those rock hard rippling abs. She admired them for several seconds. She wondered if it would be creepy if she touched them a bit. His eyes were closed. He would never know.

Her fingers softly brushed his skin. He was the sexiest man she'd ever had her hands on. Despite the fact he was either unconscious or asleep, it was still scary to touch him.

Jax Teller was much more than a man to her; he was the most masculine, testosterone drenched man she'd ever known. It was terrifying and exciting.

She used an eyebrow pencil to draw in her design. Just a sailboat adrift on the abs of Jax's stomach. The ripples would be the water. She mixed some blue eyeshadow with a little Vaseline to improve the color's staying power. She painted the boat first and added the blue water.

She finished and carefully lowered Jax's shirt.

He was breathing easily and Scarlett decided that he was going to be OK. There was no reason anymore for her to watch over him. When she returned from the bathroom, Jax was awake and sitting up.

"How do you feel?"

"Not bad."

"When you got here, you collapsed on the bed, so I let you stay. The prospect got you on your side. I was afraid you might vomit and choke to death."

"My guardian angel."

Scarlett smiled sweetly. She hoped he would be gone by the time he discovered her artwork.

"I didn't want to sleep until I knew you were OK. I'm going to take my medication and get some sleep."

Scarlett took a large clear plastic zip bag and pulled out her medication. She shook out tablets and put them in the small plastic cup she kept in the plastic bag.

Jax was watching her.

"Aren't those birth control pills?" he asked.

It made perfect sense that a man with Jax's sexual experience would recognize the distinctive packaging.

"Yes."

"I didn't think you'd been with anyone in four years."

"That's true. My hormones were destroying my complexion. The birth control pills keep my skin clear and I only have to endure four periods a year."

Jax ducked into the bathroom. Scarlett didn't hear any vomiting, so she figured that Jax had gotten through his drunken binge pretty easily.

"I used one of the hotel toothbrushes so I could get the beer taste out of my mouth."

"How much do you remember about last night?" she asked him softly.

"I remember coming here and your bed. That's it until I woke up."

"We had sex." Scarlett said. "How could you have forgotten that?"

Jax chuckled.

"That wasn't even a good try. I would never have sex with you for the first time when I was drunk because if you ever honor me with the privilege of allowing me to make love to you, I want to remember every touch . . . every kiss . . . every caress. . . every first with you," his voice was soft and the look in his eyes was enough to set her on fire.

Scarlett's face had reddened and she sucked in her breath quickly.

"Need sleep," Scarlett said. She tossed down the pills in one swift motion and washed them down with a couple of big gulps of water.

"What time do you have to get up?"

"It doesn't matter. We'll start work around noon and work as late as we need to depending on what needs to be done."

"I'm going to watch videos until I fall asleep."

Scarlett laid down on her back with pillows propped underneath her.

"I have a better idea. I want to kiss you."

"I need to sleep."

"You aren't going to fall asleep right away. Why not spend twenty or thirty minutes with me? We can share some long . . . lingering . . .soft . . . tender . . . kisses?"

Scarlett paused her mouth open. Her heart raced. Part of her wanted to run, but that couldn't happen. She'd taken medication. She wasn't going anywhere. She didn't want to go anywhere either.

Spending some time kissing with Jax was harmless enough except that it built feelings. She still wasn't prepared to surrender her heart to Jax Teller—at least the part of her that her brain still controlled.

"Um . . . OK," she whispered.

Jax carefully got her into a position so they could kiss without hurting her back. Scarlett was on her back, he was leaning over her, careful to keep his weight off her body. He kissed her temple softly, stroked the curve of her cheek before moving closer and brushing her lips with his. He studied her face for a moment looking deep into her green eyes before giving her a long, lingering tender kiss.

"You are delicious," he whispered before bringing his lips back to hers for another long kiss.


	221. Chapter 221

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 221 Longing Conflicted**

It was David Hale's time in the spotlight. The FBI and Charming PD were holding a joint news conference. He briefly described the events at the carnival and his investigation. Next, he introduced the FBI agents working the kiddie porn angle. It was shaping up to be the biggest kiddie porn case FBI history.

The FBI agent in charge Stone Hill grimly warned that there were going to be many arrests in the coming days. The tech staff was busy tracing all the contacts and they were going to arrest every single person. He'd looked into the camera, turning his head and angling it upward to show off what was left of his jawline.

The FBI agents were a minor inconvenience; it was the ATF agents and June Stahl in particular that were trying to turn things upside down. She was an overbearing, demanding witch. She had come up with nothing on the bird seed factory explosion. He suspected, but couldn't prove the Sons were connected to the factory, but it wasn't his job to speculate. He kept his suspicious to himself and he was being rewarded; today at 5 pm, he would be rid of the ATF and Stahl.

He had always had contempt for Wayne Unser and the deal that had been brokered to keep Charming safe. Unser helped SAMCRO and in return SAMCRO kept Charming safe. How a police chief could turn over law enforcement duties to an outlaw biker club never made sense to him, but Unser was in love with Gemma and he would do anything for her. When love factors in, nothing has to make sense.

Unser was a fool. Everyone in town knew he was in love with Gemma including Gemma. Soon Unser would be back to work for six months until he had enough to get his full retirement and then Charming would be his and he intended to make changes.

SAMCRO's rescuing him this weekend was going to complicate things. They had saved him from a severe beating and possible death, but how much did he have to look the other way? He wasn't going to turn into another Unser.

He had his own vision for Charming. He wanted the town to be safe where the law was applied equally and fairly and SAMCRO did not run the town. He'd do one last thing for SAMCRO and update Jax on the ATF through Scarlett and that was it.

"Good afternoon, Scarlett. This is David Hale."

Stupid. He always sounded like an upright, uptight boy scout. No matter how much he tried to bend and loosen up, nothing worked. Maybe he should try yoga. (inside joke—Ryan Hurst and Charlie Hunnam are leading a yoga class at a Detroit comic con in May 2019)

"Hi," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"A little stiff," he said with a laugh, "but that's nothing new for me."

"I get that. Fortunately, months of physio will fix me."

"I was hoping to reschedule our movie viewing, but this week is going to be crazy at work."

"I'm in Charming for the long haul. I signed a lease for my décor store, so we've got plenty of time."

"Great news," he said softly. He cleared his throat. "Could you tell Jax that the ATF is clearing out? They couldn't come up with any leads on the bird seed factory explosion."

"I don't know when I'm going to see Jax. I can call him if this is time critical."

"Whenever you see him is fine. I'll call you next week to reschedule."

"OK. Take care of yourself."

"You take care of yourself. Bye."

He ended the call.

Scarlett was the most interesting woman he'd met in a long time. She might be with Jax at the moment, but he could outlast him. Even if he couldn't capture Scarlett's heart, he hoped to save her from Jax.

He wanted Scarlett to see beyond Teller's blonde good looks and bad boy charm. A life with him would be difficult, dangerous and destined to end badly.

 _ **Next Chapter: Jax regrets not taking a shower before work.**_


	222. Chapter 222

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 222 Manet Monet**

Since the story broke about their carnival heroics, TM had been swamped with appointments. Not much happened in Charming, so there was a lot of excitement among the residents. Suddenly a lot of cars and bikes needed oil changes along with a little conversation about the carnival.

Even the residents who had always looked at SAMCRO skeptically were now finally seeing the MC as a force for good in the community. Saving Tristen was having a rippling effect of good fortune for the MC.

Jax stood in the quiet garage at TM. He liked these moments before the garage came to life. He thought about the morning and Scarlett.

He woke up after an additional three hours of sleep ready to begin his day. He had softly called Scarlett's name to wake her.

"Are you hung over?" she'd asked rubbing her eyes.

"No. Haven't had a hang over in six or seven years."

"Considering how drunk you were last night, I'm surprised you're even up."

"Experience. Thanks for watching over me."

"The guy, Sack, he was really helpful. Propped you up so you wouldn't choke if you threw up. He was also very polite and respectful said if you threw up he would come right over and clean it and you up."

Jax had been pleased with this information. His warning to Sack had made its mark. Scarlett had gotten out of bed and walked with him to the door.

"Behave yourself," Jax said.

"You never want me to have any fun."

"I want you to have fun with me."

He'd kissed her on the forehead, and waited outside to make sure she bolted the door behind him. He was finding himself growing increasingly possessive over Scarlett.

He'd called Half-Sack to pick him up at the coffee shop down the street. He'd needed a big stack of pancakes and some sausage before work more than he needed his usual post party shower and the coffee shop served breakfast all day.

Last night he'd really tested Sack. For a couple of seconds, he thought he was going to end up with Ima in the bathroom. He'd never been the least bit tempted by her, so he was relying on Sack to rescue him.

That diving tackle had been pretty damned spectacular. Without missing a beat, Sack explained that it was PTSD. Jax chuckled to himself. The prospect might actually get patched in. He wasn't going to tell Sack that. Part of being a prospect was the constant fear of failing and not getting patched in.

Sack had picked him up in the TM tow truck.

"You cut it pretty close with Ima," Jax said after climbing into the truck.

"No excuses. Should have done a better job."

"OK, Sack. I'll let it slide."

"Thank you."

"Scarlett said you were polite and respectful."

"She deserves nothing less."

"You're damned right."

He wondered how Scarlett would fit into the MC life. It was hard on women. Some like Gemma rose to it and thrived, while others like Donna fought it. Opie's stretch in prison had a lot to do with Donna's attitude. He couldn't blame her for that. He hoped when Opie was released in a few days that Donna would get closer to the MC for Opie's sake.

The guys stumbled in, Chibs first, then Tig, Clay, Juice, Happy and finally Bobby who was moving slow, his eyes barely open. They settled into their rhythm of working and joking. It was the only job he'd ever known.

Even Gemma was in a celebratory mood. That afternoon she'd made two large pitchers of his favorite blueberry lemonade and left it on the picnic table along with a cooler filled with ice and glasses.

The heat was getting to Jax more than usual. He knew it must have something to do with all the alcohol he'd consumed last night. He took off his shirt to help cool down.

"Who gave you a beating, brother?" Chibs drawled in his Scots accent.

Jax looked down and saw that his abs were various shades of blue, purple and yellow. Now he knew how Scarlett spent some of her time with him last night.

"I think it's a painting," Bobby said. "It's an impressionist masterpiece."

"It reminds me of the Rembrandt guy," Tig said.

"Rembrandt is considered one of the old masters and painted in a baroque style," Happy said. "This is clearly an Impressionist painting."

"How the hell do you know that?" Juice asked.

"I took a college class."

"When were you in college?" Jax asked.

"I did a couple of months for beating up a rat. Nice prison. They had art and pottery classes."

"I agree with the Impressionist comparison. That was always my favorite style of art," Bobby said.

"I think it looks more abstract like the Picasso stuff," Juice said.

"Isn't that the shit with women with three breasts?" Tig asked.

"Yeah," Happy said grinning.

"A woman with three breasts is just a stupid idea. A man only has but two hands," Chibs said.

"Maybe the woman might want to hold one," Sack said.

Everyone turned to look at Sack. Prospects were supposed to be seen and unheard.

"Shut up," they all yelled in unison.

Jax was standing up finishing his blueberry lemonade.

"What do you boys think more Manet or Monet?" Chibs asked looking at Jax's stomach.

"Maybe Michelangelo," Tig said. "The way the abs are."

"You're looking at his stomach. We're looking at the painting," Bobby said.

"I'm entitled to my opinion," Tig said sullenly.

Clay was returning from spending his break in the nice cool TM office with Gemma.

"What the hell happened to you?" he demanded looking at Jax.

"Wild time with a girl," Chibs said.

"Better than a wild time with a guy," Clay said and they all laughed.

"Yeah, I definitely had a wild time," Jax agreed.

"Still with the blonde girl Scarlett," Clay asked.

"Yeah."

"You ought to bring her to Opie's party," Clay suggested. "Now, let's finish up so we can go home and Jax can take a shower."

 _ **Jax comes up with a sexy punishment for Scarlett and lets her know she's in trouble in a unique way.**_


	223. Chapter 223

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 223 Girl Talk**

Acting on impulse, Tara called Elliot Oswald to get Scarlett's number. She didn't want to call Jax to get it because she didn't want him to think she was using that as an excuse to talk to him.

They met for dinner at a small Mexican restaurant on the outskirts of town. Scarlett waited until the waitress had deposited chips, salsa and iced teas.

"Thanks for the invite. I don't mind staying in a motel except when it comes to meals. I really need to find an apartment. What do you like to eat here?"

Tara opened the menu and looked at it. It was almost exactly as it had been ten years ago. She liked that some things didn't change.

"I haven't eaten here in ten years, but everything is good. I love their shredded beef tacos and their cheese enchiladas."

"That's what I'll get, a combination plate with one of each."

"That's what I'm getting too," Tara said, closing her menu.

The waitress came and took their orders.

"I told Jax that you and I were going to try to be friends. He was OK with that."

"I'm sure he was surprised. My past is a little embarrassing. I used to pull hair and fight a girl if she looked at Jax. I've grown up a lot."

"I think there's just something about high school that brings out the worst in everyone. I hated my high school years."

"I had this plan that I would meet you and find out that you aren't the kind of girl that would hold Jax's attention for long or I would get friendly with you and try to sabotage your relationship," Tara said, trying a new strategy, complete honesty.

"I suspected there was more to it than you suddenly wanting to be my friend. I told Jax that I thought you were back in town either because your career was in trouble or you wanted him back. I wasn't surprised when you went to see him and tried to get him back."

"We're not getting back together."

"I know," Scarlett said. "It also has nothing to do with me."

Tara nodded.

"Yeah, I got that from Jax too. It was strange that Jax suddenly had more insight about relationships than I did. I wasn't expecting that."

"Women are supposed to be the ones who do all that."

The waitress using pot holders put bubbling plates of Mexican deliciousness in front of each. She returned and refilled their iced tea glasses and left.

Tara inhaled the warm spicy scent of her dinner from the refried beans with melted cheese to the enchilada sauce. It brought back so many memories.

"Mmmm," she said. "There's just something about Mexican food. People talk about comfort food and meat loaf and mac and cheese, but give me Mexican food any day. That's comfort."

Scarlett laughed.

"That's scary because I feel the same way."

"I've been doing a lot of thinking. I thought when I left Charming I would meet a guy like Jax without the flaws. It didn't happen just bad relationships, so I decided to come back to Charming. There was an opening at the hospital in my specialty. I thought it was fate telling me to go get Jax.

"Now, I think it may have been fate telling me to come to Charming, face my past and move forward to my future. I can see now that I was in love with the Jax from the past and I don't know who he is anymore. Seeing him and hearing him say those words hurt, but I needed to try one last time. He's right though. He and I are over. We are different people."

"I'm sorry that you're hurt."

"It's good because I'm not going to carry on with this fantasy about Jax and me. I've been holding myself back. I'd really like to be friends with no ulterior motives."

"I hate the idea of us being friends and feeling like I'm hurting you by being with Jax."

"There's always pain with heartbreak. Seeing you with Jax and knowing that you two are together helps me because I am finally being forced to quit living in my fantasy world and see reality. I'm going to feel heartbreak whether or not we're friends. I'll get through it."

"If we're friends, I'm not going to tell you about my relationship with Jax."

"That's fair. I wouldn't expect you to tell me everything about the two of you. I never really had a friend in high school that I told that stuff too anyway."

"OK. Let's try it."

They ate their combination plates making small talk about the delicious food.

"Saturday, Elliot called me to check over Tristen," Tara began after she had cleaned her plate. She watched Scarlett monitoring her reaction. "She told me that you had saved her. Almost immediately she realized she'd made a mistake because she isn't supposed to mention you. Don't worry. I'm not going to say anything to anybody. I was just wondering why. If I were guessing, there's someone you don't want to know where you are."

"Doesn't every woman have a psycho ex in her past?"

Tara laughed.

"I've got one too," she admitted.

"Jax knows about my problem. He and David came up with the story about an unnamed person to help me."

"I'm glad they did that for you," Tara said. "You shouldn't save a child and then end up having a psycho ex show up to hunt you down. You had to do some fast thinking. I don't think I would have put it together in time to have saved her."

"My back injury helped out. Jax and the guys went on a roller coaster kind of ride and I can't do that, so I was walking around when I saw the clown with Tristen. I'd met her earlier and it didn't make sense for a clown to take a little child into the woods. I couldn't stop the clown. I can't walk very fast and I can't fight. Fortunately, David was close. He told me to get Jax and the guys for back-up."

"I'm sure he hated that, but Hale always tries to do the right thing. Saving a child was more important than who saved her. Now, SAMCRO and Jax are heroes," Tara said with a smile.

"I feel bad for David because he took a beating and he was brave. He knew when he went into the woods that he was outnumbered. I didn't know at the time that he wasn't armed."

"I like Hale," Tara said. "He's the guy you should fall in love with because he's really a good person, but your heart and brain just won't get in sync."

Scarlett smiled. "That's exactly it. I like the way you put it—your heart and brain won't get in sync. I do have something I want to ask you about Jax. Was he ever violent with you?"

"Has he hit you?"

"No, but since my psycho ex I'm really sensitive to abusive men."

"Jax was never abusive. He never hit me. I hit him a couple of times. I was drunk and it was stupid. Even then he just restrained me. Sometimes we had screaming fights. He would hit things but never me. When I told him about Bela's death and that whole thing, he punched a wall. I knew he was going to do it so I pointed to an interior wall so he wouldn't mess up his hand when he punched it."

"Funny how ten years later that didn't change."

"Jax is a violent person. That's the MC life, but not with girls. He could have changed, but it would surprise me."

"You passed my test. I was wondering if you would lie to me about that hoping I'd dump him. I don't see Jax as violent. I've pushed him a bit to test him and he's really calm and controlled with me."

"I don't blame you for testing me. I'd be suspicious too."

"Last night he came to my motel room after a clubhouse celebration with a prospect who was driving him. He fell face down on my bed. The guy propped Jax on his side. I was afraid he'd vomit and choke. While he was asleep or passed out, I decorated his abs a bit."

"I have to say it—Jax is actually hotter now than back in my day. He's much more cut and chiseled. What did you put on him?"

"A sailboat and some flowers."

They laughed together.

"You may be facing some payback," Tara warned.

They walked out together. Tara gasped when she saw a man in a car.

"What's wrong?"

"That guy looked like my psycho ex."

"Do you have a gun?"

"Yeah."

Scarlett grabbed her keys and removed a small yellow canister from her key chain.

"Here, take this," she said handing Tara the slim canister. "It's pepper spray. Spray it in the eyes, nose and mouth in an "S" or "Z" pattern. It's for those times when you don't have your gun."

Tara took the canister, her fingers closing tightly around it.

"Are you going to be OK?"

"I'll be fine. I was probably wrong about the guy. I'm sure I'll be fine."

The words sounded hollow and unconvincing to Tara. She didn't believe she was going to be fine. If she had seen Kohn, he was coming for her and not in a romantic sweep her off her feet kind of way.

"****************************"

 _ **What punishment does Jax have in mind for Scarlett and who wouldn't want some?**_


	224. Chapter 224

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 224 Louise Returns**

 **Author's Note** **When I posted on 4-8, I change the image as I always do when I post a new chapter. It kept changing back to a previous image despite the fact that I deleted the image.**

 **Each time I notice it, I change it back, so if you've noticed the constant change in the image going from Jax as a biker to a more washed out shades of blue Jax that's why.**

 **It's not the first time this bug in the fac fic software has appeared. Hopefully, they will fix it.**

She wasn't happy. That wasn't a new state. She was rarely happy these days ever since Jax met that blonde whore. She never thought she would see the day when Jax Teller, God's Gift to the Women of the World would forsake SAMCRO for a piece of pussy.

She wondered how long Jax's brothers would put up with it and how long before Gemma chewed his ass out for neglecting his MC duties. She was beginning to think the blonde whore was more important to him than SAMCRO.

It was looking more and more like she was going to have to kill the whore. That was almost inevitable. If Jax had feelings for her, she would have to die. If Jax couldn't love her, she would just kill every girl Jax loved. That seemed perfectly fair.

It didn't matter much whether or not it was fair anyway. There is no fair when there's murder. She wasn't going to let Jax love any girl except her.

For now, she could calm herself by plotting Louise's murder. In less than three days, she was going to kill Louise in an orgy of blood and violence. It was going to be perfect.

So much pleasure. So much blood. Poor Louise.


	225. Chapter 225

9

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 225 Payback's Bitch**

Jax called Scarlett to ask her if she wanted to walk at the track with him. He suggested he stay overnight because she had an early physio appointment in the morning and they would have to leave very early. She agreed.

It was as though nothing had happened. Her mind quickly began to work out the possibilities.

The eyeshadow could have adsorbed into his skin the way it did her eyes leaving little or nothing behind. There still should have been traces of the eyeliner. It was the 24 hour smudge proof stuff. That didn't really mean it would last for 24 hours or not smudge. That was just wishful advertising.

It could have worn away leaving some smudges but it would look like dirt. If that was how it played out, she could be off the hook and he would never know what she'd done to him.

It wasn't likely that it would work out like that. He probably had discovered what she'd done. It was possible he would just pretend like nothing happened. Was it realistic to think that Jax Teller MC badass would just let her off the hook? No, she was going to face some kind of retaliation.

What could he really do to her? He wasn't going to shave her eyebrow. He wouldn't beat her or slap her around. Tara said he'd never been violent with her. Nothing much was going to happen. Probably.

What the hell was wrong with her? There was a part deep down inside that was kind of or a lot excited by the prospect of Jax Teller, the unknown and punishment.

She shook her head chuckling to herself. Maybe there was a bit of a masochist in her like that girl in those horrible _50 Shades_ movies. Jax was so much sexier and hotter than that guy. He always looked like he needed a laxative. Even during the sex scenes, the guy showed a marked lack of enthusiasm. She was sure Jax would always be an enthusiastic lover.

She'd never believed much in sexual attraction before Jax, but _he_ could melt an iceberg with just a look. He oozed sex. When she'd lifted his shirt and seen his abs, all she could think of was how much she wanted to touch those amazing ripples.

She never would have been brave enough to have touched him when he was awake because that would have led to him touching her. She wasn't sure how much resistance she had left.

Reminding herself that he'd probably screwed every available girl in a thirty mile radius was beginning to lose its power to repulse her. He'd told her he was falling in love with her. She believed him. It just didn't seem like he would lie to her to sleep with her. There was a strong sense of honor in him.

That was all future thinking. Nothing mattered now except getting herself out of the mess she might be in with Jax. She could think some more about whether or not Jax was falling in love with her later after she was safely out of this mess.

He had a black sports bag with him when he came into her room. He left it inside before driving them to the track at Charming High. He was wearing a pair of dark blue sweat pants and the same T-shirt he'd been wearing when he left her motel room that morning.

Oh, hell, Scarlett thought. Jax may not have discovered her art project. She was hoping that he'd found it and had a chance to experience whatever emotional reaction he was going to have and she would be spared that.

How was she going to get out of this? Maybe this would be OK. He'd take a shower and never know what she'd done. Perfect. That was how things were going to work out. She was completely and possibly dangerously delusional.

She really needed to work on her impulse control. She could try to blame it all on him. If he hadn't shown up drunk to her motel, it wouldn't have happened. She was watching over him very carefully and that's why she'd needed to lift his shirt to make sure he was still breathing and she had only painted him as a way to stay awake. That might work. No, it wasn't going to work.

They got out of the car and Jax walked next to her as part of his warm-up before running.

"Do you want to know what kind of a day I had at work?" he asked his voice soft, but to Scarlett's ears there seemed a little menace in it.

He was going to confront her now with what she'd done to him. It was a good place. Out in public. Sort of public. There were maybe eight to ten mostly guys on the track. This wouldn't be so bad.

"Of course I do. What kind of day did you have at work?" she asked.

Her voice might be a little too sweet. She was trying too hard. He'd see right through her act and know she was hiding something.

"It was busy. The whole heroes thing has been good for business. The MC has a good reputation in town except with a few diehards who don't always like the way we do things. Even a lot of those people are coming around."

"Sounds like a parade in SAMCRO's honor is just around the corner," Scarlett said.

Jax laughed.

"I wouldn't go that far, but the positive attention is nice."

"I almost forgot. David Hale called me with a message to pass on to you. He said the ATF was packing up and leaving. They couldn't get anywhere in their investigation of some building that got blown up."

"That's interesting news," Jax said.

Scarlett was resting her hand on Jax's arm helping make her walking easier, but it was still a struggle. Every step sent jarring pain up her spinal cord, but her muscles ached from sitting so much that she didn't mind the jarring pain.

"I have more interesting news. I had dinner with Tara."

"Now, that's surprising."

"I like her a lot. She said that she's glad she came to Charming because she needed to get over her fantasy of a life with you."

"I don't want her to waste her life dreaming of a life with me."

He looked at her with such sincerity, Scarlett's heart beat faster. For a moment she forgot all about her painting of Jax's abs and the trouble that might be brewing.

"You really don't love her."

"I hated her for awhile, but even that's all in the past. I'm at the place where I'd like to see her happy—just not with me."

Scarlett squeezed his arm.

"I'm going to start running now," he said.

"I think I'm going to sit down. If you do a cool down lap, I might do that with you."

Scarlett made her way slowly and painfully to a nearby bench. As Jax ran, it seemed as though everyone was talking to him and shouting words of thanks for putting a beat down on the would-be child rapists. Scarlett focused more on the natural wonders of Jax Teller in motion his blonde hair bouncing as he ran the track lights turning his hair into bright gold. Maybe he'd put his hair up in a man bun later. The idea made her smile.

Jax was working up quite a sweat his skin glistening in the light. Beads of sweat rolled down his face. Scarlett imaged taking a tiny taste of his sweat maybe around his lips. She was sick and twisted. It wasn't like her to think about sex, but she'd never spent time with a man just so bursting with virility.

Jax reached up and wiped his face with the bottom of the front of his shirt. It was so quick, Scarlett couldn't tell whether or not her artwork was still on him. Her heart pounded hard and she was nervous. She didn't want to be around when Jax discovered she'd decorated him.

This is exactly what happened when she didn't think stuff through, she scolded herself. What the hell was she going to do when Jax discovered what she'd done? Of course, she'd try to talk her way out of it and hope like hell it worked.

Jax had slowed his pace to a walk. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Finally, he took off his T-shirt and wiped his face. His perfectly sculpted abs were clean and drawing free. Not even the faintest of black smudges. His eyes met hers and she thought there was a small smile tugging at his lips.

She was just going to quit thinking now. It hadn't helped the situation. It might even make it worse. She wasn't sure how things could get worse, but there usually was a way.

Jax walked up to her. He'd put his damp T-shirt back on. It clung to his damp skin outlining those chiseled abs.

"You want to do a cool down lap with me?"

"I think I'll pass. My back is very unhappy tonight."

"I don't really need to do a cool down either. Let's go."

On the way to her car, Scarlett thought she saw a white car similar to the one she and Tara had seen at the Mexican restaurant. She couldn't tell if it were the same guy.

On the short drive back to her motel, her brain forget it wasn't supposed to work and switched itself back on and she began to think.

He knew what she'd done to him. Was he biding his time waiting for the perfect moment to exact his revenge? She was betting on that. She hoped it would be soon because if she had to wait, she'd be a nervous wreck.

"You mind if I take a shower first?" Jax asked once they were back in her motel room and the door bolted safely behind them. "I'm just so . . . sweaty. I wouldn't want to get between your . . . sheets like this," he said.

His sweaty hair clung to his head just like his damp T shirt clung to his body. He was inches from her and so damned male. One man should not be that sexy. It should be against the law, but he was an outlaw.

"No," she whispered.

Jax grabbed his bag and went into the bathroom. Scarlett began to breathe again.

She decided she could at least make good use of her time. She sent a text to Tara telling her about the white car and guy she'd seen at the track. She asked Tara to send her a picture of the psycho ex.

A few minutes later, Tara sent her a picture of Joshy Kohn. Scarlett studied the picture carefully, trying to memorize it in case she saw him again. She just couldn't tell if the man she'd seen earlier was the same guy.

She sent Tara a text telling her she couldn't be sure if it were the same guy, but she would keep her eyes open and if she saw the guy, she'd text her. Tara immediately replied thanking her.

The door to the bathroom opened with a rush of warm moist air and a clean Jax wearing a lightweight pair of sky blue sweat pants and a navy blue Sons T-shirt emerged. His wet hair was scraped back in a high ponytail, the ends tucked under. It was a man bun.

She met his eyes and he seemed to be daring her to laugh at his man bun. Scarlett bit her lip, grabbed her clothes and fled into the bathroom. She leaned against the locked door, wrapped her arms around her waist and laughed.

She didn't know what it was about the man bun that made her laugh, but it just struck her as funny. Maybe it was more the outrage on his face when she called it a man bun.

By the time she finished her shower, she'd returned to worrying about what Jax was going to do her. Maybe nothing. That was a possibility.

No, it wasn't a real possibility. It was going to be something and it would be embarrassing and humiliating.

"Do you want to watch TV, DVDs or just sleep?" Scarlett asked pretending that nothing was wrong. "It's a little early for sleep, but we do have to get up early."

"You pick."

Jax was walking around the motel room behind her and it was making her nervous. She was practically trembling with fear and . . . anticipation.

He was standing near the door. He lifted his shirt. She locked eyes with him. There was writing on his stomach. It looked like her Kohl black eye crayon. It was hard to read without breaking eye contact with him. Finally she was able to read it:  
Scars—You're in trouble.

Too late to run.

He lowered his shirt, crossed his arms over his chest, a wolfish grin on his face.

"Time to pay the price," he said in a husky growl.

Was the fun of touching Jax's abs worth the price she was going to pay? She was about to find out.

"******************************************************"

 _ **What kind of punishment will Scarlett face? Can she talk her way out of it? OK. No. No matter how fast she talks, she's in trouble and it is**_ _ **too**_ _ **late to run. Who wants to be in Scarlett's place?**_

 _ **I spent a lot of time writing this chapter because it was just so much fun. This is when I am so grateful I can write. The joy is indescribable.**_

 _ **I would appreciate some reader feedback because I need to know if this is coming across as sexy or silly. And I have heard you and made this a nice long (for me) chapter.**_


	226. Chapter 226

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 226 Cash Baby**

Margaret followed Carl Namid into his home office expensively furnished in antique leather with a bookcase filled with first editions of classic books including a complete set of Charles Dickens' works. He'd never read any of the books on his shelves. They were a symbol of wealth, status and success. Reading the books would have lowered their value.

He handed her a Scotch and poured himself one. They touched glasses.

"To more dead babies," he said.

Margaret frowned.

"That isn't funny."

"Relax. Not only did we get the dead baby, but I and the hospital made a nice chunk of money for the failed surgery."

Margaret swallowed her drink quickly and held out her glass for more. He splashed another inch in the glass.

"How did you get the parents to agree to the surgery?"

"Told them there was a 30% chance the kid would live."

"There was next to no chance," Margaret said.

"People need hope. Who knows? Maybe a miracle happens, my hands make magic and the baby lives."

"I don't know how you can do what you do."

Carl's dark eyes flashed with anger.

"Don't act so fucking holy. Some babies should die. We keep them alive to medically and legally torture them and milk the insurance companies and their families for every cent we can while the babies suffer unspeakable pain. We just sedate the shit out of them until they are too weak to cry."

"I have to get back to prison also known as my husband and kids," Margaret said. She reached into her large hand bag and pulled out an envelope stuffed with cash and shoved it across the desk at Carl. "They want all the dead babies you can get."

"What else is new? We'll just have to see what comes in the door."

"Have you taken care of our Dr. Knowles problem?"

"Yes, but it's going to cost. Tell our friends, I need $10,000 more."

"They aren't going to like that," Margaret warned.

"I know how much they are making off our little business. They can cough up the money or maybe the supply line shuts down."

Margaret finished her drink and looked longingly at the Scotch decanter.

"I'm not giving you anymore. That Boy Scout cop David Hale will pull you over if you're drunk. You know how much he loves to bust drunk drivers."

"I'll let you know about the $10,000."

"Just get me the money," he snapped.

He walked Margaret out of his house and returned to his office where he sat down for another night of drinking. He would be glad to get out of Charming and out of this whole business.

At least performing abortions didn't make his skin crawl.


	227. Chapter 227

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 227 Level Up**

Since discovering Scarlett's artwork on him at TM, Jax had been planning what he was going to do to and with Scarlett. He didn't mind the good natured teasing from the guys. That was part of working with them.

This was about retaliation, punishment and showing Scarlett if she wanted to play, he could play harder. It was also about having fun with her.

She brought a lightness to his life that he'd been lacking. She kept him from taking himself too seriously. It didn't mean he was going to let her off this time. He'd been too tolerant with all the hair braiding.

When he'd walked into her room tonight wearing the same T-shirt he'd had on this morning, her eyes widened with surprise. He could almost feel her trying to figure out if he knew what she'd done to him.

While helping her walk around the track, he could feel the tension in her body. He had the cool Scarlett completely confused and worried.

He was sure Scarlett's clever mind was busy coming up with ways to talk herself out of the situation. He might even listen to her attempts to get out of her predicament, but no matter how beautiful and sincere; she was going to be punished. He had spent all day anticipating and planning it.

He felt a twinge of pity when he saw her walk slowly and painfully to the bench. Watching her struggle, reminded him to be grateful for his health and the strength in his body. Running felt good after a long day at the garage feeling his muscles move in sync almost without effort.

As he ran, he had brief conversations with other runners who were anxious to congratulate him for handling the sexual predators from the carnival. A couple of guys tried to get him to ID the child. He'd shut them down with a look.

Scarlett sat on the bench alone. A beautiful girl like that would have every available guy hitting on her, but not once she'd been seen with him. No one wanted to risk a Jax Teller beat down. He was a physical person from sex to violence.

When he raised is shirt to wipe the sweat from his face, he saw Scarlett staring at him trying to see whether or not her artwork was still there. He let her think about it for a couple of laps before stripping off his shirt and mopping his face. Now, there would be no mistake. She would see that her artwork was gone. Her eyes widened and she looked shocked as she met his eyes.

He knew she must be wondering if her handiwork could have vanished without a trace and she was going to get away with her prank without consequences. Part of his plan for Scarlett was bringing the game to a new level—mental confusion. He had knocked her completely off balance.

A bigger surprise still awaited Scarlett. He took a shower and used a large black eye pencil to write his message across his stomach. To up things a little, he noticed a couple of hair elastics in her make up case and pulled his wet hair back, tucking the ends under in what she called a man bun.

He could just imagine Scarlett looking at his hair and trying not to laugh or make any comment. She would figure if she could show restraint for not calling out his hair as being in a man bun, he might let her slide for the stomach art.

She grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom for her shower. He suspected that she needed to make a fast escape to keep from laughing at his hair. It would be the last escape she'd make that night.

He turned down the bed. Staying overnight with Scarlett had become a habit he enjoyed despite the lack of sex.

After she returned from the bathroom, she was nervous wondering what was going to happen. She tried to act like there was nothing wrong asking him if he wanted to watch TV or DVDs.

He moved to the door just in case. Scarlett could be unpredictable. He locked eyes with her and slowly lifted his T-shirt. It took her a moment to read it, but the message was clear: she was in trouble and it was too late to run.

Jax was looking forward to administering her punishment.


	228. Chapter 228

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 228 Kill Who**

Tara was actually happy. The spur of the moment dinner invitation to Scarlett hadn't been the disaster she expected. She thought spending time with the woman who was dating Jax would be painful, but it was something she needed to do to move forward with her life. She had actually enjoyed herself and found that she genuinely liked Scarlett. There was the beginning of a true friendship with her.

She'd always been so damned jealous when she was with Jax, now she wasn't. That was definite progress. It also didn't drive her crazy that Scarlett was with Jax.

She recalled all the times when he'd come to her bruised, a little bloody and sexy as hell. She liked the bad boy side of him, but Tara had grown up. Bad boys were bad for a reason; they were bad. Bad was not good. Sexy, maybe, but not for a future. Her heart was listening to her brain finally.

She was beginning to accept that she and Jax were over. Maybe there was even a better man out there that would be a better fit for her; a man she didn't have to worry would die in a gun battle or end up imprisoned for the rest of his life.

Her mood began to crash when she and Scarlett were walking to their cars and she thought she saw Kohn. Later Scarlett had surprised her when she sent her a text saying she thought she might have seen Kohn when she was with Jax. After sending her a picture, Scarlett immediately replied telling her she couldn't be sure.

When she'd been with Kohn that was more about replacing Jax. She'd even thought of him as a less hot, more legal version of Jax. It turned out, he wasn't much more law abiding than Jax. His MC was the ATF and he did plenty of illegal stuff. He'd bragged to her about it. She'd escaped Chicago and that relationship with her life.

She never believed that he was crazy enough to come to Charming after her, but she knew in her gut that he was in town. He wasn't just abusive. She made the monumental mistake of telling him a little about Jax. He'd become obsessed with him.

She had to shoulder some of the blame for that. She'd overshared. She told Kohn that Jax was the love of her life. How could she be a doctor and be that stupid? Easy. Tests weren't about life. They were about memorizing.

He'd saved her from a mugger. He continued to think of himself as her savior. When she broke up with him, he accused her of secretly seeing Jax. The physical violence had been bad, but she didn't think that he was mentally unhinged until that moment.

Kohn was convinced that she and Jax were sneaking around together. That was the problem with crazy people; logic went out the window. She was living in Chicago for God's sake. She couldn't get him to understand that his talk of her being with Jax didn't make sense.

He wanted to believe that Jax was the reason she was dumping him. It had nothing to do with the finger shaped bruises on her arms or the time he had slammed her into a wall so hard that she thought she had a concussion.

She'd returned to Charming and fed into his delusions about her being with Jax. He thought that he needed to save her from Jax. She just didn't know what form that saving would take; would he try to save her by killing her or killing Jax?


	229. Chapter 229

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 229 Punish Me**

"Scarlett, you've left me with no choice. I'm going to have to punish you," Jax said. He lowered his T-shirt covering the note he'd written to her on his stomach.

Jax was standing near her motel room's door. She wasn't getting out even if she'd been at her best physically. He was too big, too strong and there was no getting past him. It would be up to her brain to get her out of this.

Scarlett thought about telling Jax she had no idea what she'd done to be in trouble with him. She rejected that idea. It might just make him angry. She could try confessing and pleading for mercy. By the stern look on his face, mercy was unlikely.

What words could she say that would get her out of this? They didn't need to be true. They just needed to save her from Jax's punishment.

Did she really want to escape whatever Jax was going to do to her? It depended on what he was going to do to her. It might be . . . interesting. It could even be pleasurable. Still, it wasn't in her to give in—at least not so quickly.

Scarlett's back began to ache from standing, so she walked to the bed and used the wall to carefully lower herself to the bed. She already had the pillows in place to support her back. She used her arms to help lift her legs to the bed. After tearing or straining the muscles in her back, lifting her legs was difficult and painful. It was something she and her physiotherapist were working on.

"I am challenging the idea of punishment. When you came to my room last night, you were so drunk. It annoyed the hell out of me."

"So, you are going to make this my fault?" Jax asked, crossing his arms over his chest, still standing near the door.

Scarlett took that as a clear sign, this wasn't going well for her, but she continued.

"If you hadn't been drunk . . ."

"Really? You think this is a winning strategy for you?"

"It's not looking good," she admitted. "When you came in, you fell face down on my bed. I was worried that you would choke to death on vomit or die of alcohol poisoning. Sack was going to take you home and watch over you, but he looked so tired, I thought he might fall asleep and something might happen to you."

"So you happened to me?"

The way he put it and the man bun were too much for her. She giggled, wrapping her arm around her stomach so the muscle pull would hurt less.

"When you fell on my bed and I decided I should take care of you, you just looked so cute all passed out or sleeping I'm not sure which so . . . I thought about drawing on you to pass the time. I had to stay awake and that seemed a way for me to stay awake."

"Try the truth," Jax suggested.

"Will it work?"

"Give it a shot," he replied. "There's a first time for everything."

Could she actually get out of this without any punishment? Did she really even want that? It was a difficult decision.

"It was your fault. You just looked so sweet and sexy with your blonde hair sort of over your face. I found myself wanting to touch you. I couldn't control myself."

"Uh-huh," Jax said skeptically.

Scarlett looked into his laser blue eyes.

"You know how hot and sexy you are," she said. She was trying to assess how this truth was going down with Jax. He was trying not to smile. That could be a good thing. "I couldn't resist. It was beyond my control."

Jax began to walk slowly toward the bed with his sexy hip swaying walk. Scarlett's eyes widened with alarm. It was much better when he was near the door outside touching range.

"You wanted to touch me while I was asleep and defenseless."

Scarlett looked at the floor. This wasn't good for her.

"Yeah. When you put it like that, it's bad."

"How would have you have felt if I had done that to you?"

"Violated. Taken advantage of and very angry."

Jax let the silence stretch out between them, letting her words linger.

"Scarlett, you have my permission to touch me anywhere you want, any time you want whether or not I'm asleep, awake, passed out or in a coma."

"Do I have to give you the same permission?"

"No."

Maybe this was it. He was just scaring her with words and making her feel bad. He'd made his point. Further punishment was unnecessary. She had learned her lesson.

"Do you know why I am not requiring you to give me the same access to your body as I'm giving you to mine?"

She shook her head.

"Because you are shy with your body. I understand that and I respect it. I would never take sexual advantage of you."

He wasn't done making her feel terrible. She couldn't complain. She deserved it, but she wanted to explain so he didn't think she was . . . She couldn't come up with a word. She just knew that she felt horrible.

"My intentions started out good. I was truly worried about you and I thought Sack might fall asleep. That is the true reason I took care of you. I had him prop you up on your side so if you threw up, you wouldn't choke," she paused and bit her lip. "I told Sack that if you threw up, you were sleeping in it."

Jax laughed.

"Now that I believe."

"Sack gave me his number and told me to call him and he would come over immediately and clean you up."

"Now what really happened with the artwork?"

Jax sat down on the bed, careful to avoid sitting on her feet.

Jax's proximity was having an impact on her breathing. Some of the oxygen seemed to have gone out of the room and she felt hot all over.

"In all honesty, I'm not sure whether I drew on you to give you payback for showing up drunk or if that was just my excuse to let me touch you. The part about you being so sexy and hot was true."

"Of course," Jax said chuckling. "I have decided to forgive you."

"Thank you," Scarlett said. She began to breathe again. She was shocked that she'd talked her way out of her predicament and the truth had been the key to the result. Who knew?

"How did you think you were going to get away with it?"

"Didn't really think that far. I'm sure I would have cleaned you up, but you woke up before I could do that. Then you brushed your teeth and wanted to kiss."

"Back to my fault?" he asked with a grin.

"You're just too virile and sexy for me. I was temporarily overcome with insanity."

"That is the oldest trick in the book—flattering someone to get out of trouble."

"Jax, we both know it's not flattery. It's fact. You are a very . . . sexy . . . man," Scarlett said with a sigh.

Jax laughed.

"You make it sound like a bad thing."

"It would be a lot easier to resist you, if you were just average."

"I think you may be the first girl who has ever tried to resist me."

Scarlett had no doubt that was true. Jax was just too spectacular. Resisting him was like trying to resist gravity. It didn't mean she wouldn't keep trying.

"This is partly my fault. I should have taught you a lesson when you were doing all the braiding. Maybe if you had learned your lesson then, you wouldn't be in the mess you are in now."

"You said you've forgiven me."

"I'm still going to punish you. You are going to lay in bed. I am going to slowly lift your T-shirt up past your knees, past your thighs and up to just below your breasts, so you tummy is exposed. I'm going to paint you while I'm straddling you. Don't worry; I'll keep most of my weight off your body."

Scarlett's eyes were round with fear. Part of her was excited by the punishment, but part of her was terrified. It was tough as hell resisting a man like Jax. She'd never had to fight to resist a man; he was the first.

Jax grinned at the expression on Scarlett's face.

"Lucky for you, I am going to give you another option. A mystery punishment."

"What is it?"

"It's a mystery."

"I was hoping to trick you into telling me." She added a smile, hoping that would convince him to reveal the mystery punishment.

"Scarlett," Jax said her name, making it sound almost like a growl.

She felt shivers all the way up her spine.

"It isn't the loofah thing or the tongue drying thing."

"Out of the kindness of my heart, I am not doing the loofah thing or the tongue drying thing tonight unless you beg."

"Is the mystery punishment better or worse?"

"Scarlett, pick or I _will_ pick for you."

As much trouble as she was in, she couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. Was she turning into some S & M freak?


	230. Chapter 230

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 230 Toxic Masculinity**

 **Author's Note:**

 _ **Many many thanks to Emily who talked me off the ledge and kept me from losing my mind completely and deleting this story. Her words helped me a lot.**_

 _ **Since I didn't have a way to message you, I wanted to let you know how much your words helped me over my mini-meltdown.**_

 _ **You are amazing. I wish I were bi-lingual. I envy you your ability. Your English is better than a lot of Americans.**_

 **Chapter 230 Toxic Masculinity**

"/

Scarlett's face was flushed. She rubbed her forehead. Her skin felt warm. Maybe she was coming down with something—a bad case of Jax. Silly girl, she scolded herself.

"It's really hot in here," she said.

Jax raised an eyebrow.

"What are you up to?"

"Nothing," she said innocently. "Would you mind turning up the A/C?"

Jax got up, went to the A/C unit underneath the window and turned it up. It was a little warm in the room and it was going to get even hotter.

"You're bluffing, Jax. You aren't going to do a damned thing to me."

Scarlett looked at Jax and didn't believe for a second that she had pushed him too far.

Jax laughed.

"Scarlett, did you forget I'm an outlaw biker?"

"No, I remember," she said. She watched him carefully, weighing how far she could push. There was plenty of room left.

"OK," he said. He took a step closer, his eyes locked on Scarlett. "Let me explain a couple of things, just so you know. I'm not politically correct. I don't need a safe space. I never bought into all the fake news shit on TV. I don't believe in the liberal concept of toxic masculinity. _Now pick your punishment._ "

Scarlett hesitated. She wasn't expecting this turn, not so soon anyway. Jax walked into the bathroom, returned, tossed her make-up case on the bed and grabbed her by the ankles.

"Jax, wait a second," Scarlett protested.

She was going to go to hell. That was all there was to it because she enjoyed the feel of his hands around her ankles and all his masculinity. Toxic or not, it was sexy as hell and she wanted to go to hell.

What was wrong with her? She was supposed to be a modern woman who believed all the politically correct stuff she heard on TV. Except, she didn't really believe it.

She could pretend, but deep down inside she wanted a man to be a man. She didn't want some whiney guy who needed a safe space or an emotional support animal. That was one of the sexiest things about Jax. He was a kick ass and take names kind of guy.

"Now, pick your punishment. You know you deserve it."

"Jax," she protested, half-heartedly.

"That's it," he said, pulling her down on the bed by her ankles. "I'll decide. It's the mystery punishment."

"/

 _Next: Jax and Scarlett will finally finish whatever it is they are doing._

 _Opie returns home, there's a party, Scarlett scrambles trying to find a way to prove to Clay he isn't her father and there might be a cat fight with a twist at the park party._


	231. Chapter 231

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 231 Hurt, Destroy**

"

People who are truly insane don't think they are crazy. They believe their thought processes are just fine. The Son of Sam serial killer out of New York targeted young couples. He claimed to be taking orders from his neighbor's dog.

Joshua Kohn thought of himself as Kohn, a law enforcement superhero. In his mind, Jax Teller was the supervillain. It was Jax Teller's fault that he and Tara were not together. Teller was the reason she had dumped him, quit her job and moved to Charming.

He saw Tara with the blonde woman in the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant. Once again, he saw the blonde with Teller at a high school track. The two seemed close, but where did that leave Tara?

It was only a matter of time before Teller got his clutches on Tara. Maybe he would even force a kinky threesome on Tara—the vile son of a bitch. He had to save Tara, but saving Tara didn't mean killing Jax. He had a better plan for him.

Kohn was going to destroy the Sons of Anarchy MC. Bring the entire MC crashing down. It was a criminal enterprise within the definition of the law.

He wanted to show Tara that Teller was no more than an uneducated thug. He was going to put Teller in a cage for the rest of his life. He could be some guy's pretty blonde girlfriend or, better yet, passed around prison for cigarettes and commissary credits.

As far as the blonde woman, if Teller loved her, he would kill her. He wanted every second of Jax Teller's life to be miserable and he would do whatever he needed to do to accomplish his mission.

He decided to end surveillance on Jax and his blonde girl and get some sleep. Tomorrow he was meeting with Acting Police Chief David Hale to discuss his highly covert ATF investigation into weapons sales and the Sons of Anarchy.

He didn't have to worry about Hale checking him out. His experience told him that once a local cop saw a real Fed badge, they couldn't do enough to help.

"

 _Author's Note: Heart emojis back to you Emily. Thanks for your love of Scarlett. I've taken a lot of hate (guest reviews that had to be deleted due to the hate factor) over her. Your kind words are much appreciated._

"

Readers asked about the serial killer plotline. Plotlines are short, medium and long. The serial killer is a long plotline. It extends over a lot of the story and stays in the background building and building. It's going to be different and it's moving in a fresh direction because I don't want to write stuff that is predictable.

The serial killer is revealed when Scarlett's alone with the killer. Jax puts all the pieces together and races to save Scarlett from what looks like a bloody and painful death. Just before it looks like Jax is too late to save her, Scarlett fights well enough to buy some time for Jax to rescue her. He saves her. There's a happy ending.

I know this story. I've read many variations in romantic suspense novels over the years and seen it in movies more times than I want to remember. This isn't that story.

Please be patient. I know how this story is going to go from beginning to end. Everything fits together and this chapter looks like a throwaway or filler chapter. It isn't. It serves a purpose.


	232. Chapter 232

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 232 Ripped Abs**

"

Jax had Scarlett exactly where he wanted her, underneath him. It still wasn't the ideal circumstances that he'd imagined because they weren't going to have sex. Punishing her wouldn't be as enjoyable as sex, but he was still going to have fun with her.

"You're hurting me," she protested.

"No, I'm not," he said. "I've watched you. When you get unexpected pain, you flinch slightly. Not much, but you do flinch. You haven't flinched even when I grabbed you by your ankles and pulled you down to the bed. I'm straddling your legs, well off your lumbar spine."

"Oh, hell," Scarlett said with a sigh. "I'm in trouble now."

Jax laughed. He slowly stripped off his T-shirt aware that he had her full attention.

He was proud of his body. He worked for it. Scarlett was definitely appreciative. He could tell by the way she was checking him out focusing on his ripped abs. Every lift and crunch was worth it when he saw the look in her eyes.

"Now, you are going to draw on me just like you did when I was asleep. If you refuse, I'll draw _all_ over you. Do I need to be more explicit?"

"Probably better not," she whispered.

It was time to show Scarlett who the boss was in whatever they were doing together. If he judged Scarlett right, this wouldn't be the first battle of wills. It would just be the first in her many losses to him.

"I think you would actually carry out that threat," Scarlett added after studying Jax's face carefully.

"Damned right. I'd enjoy it too."

"It's going to be hard to draw with all the writing you did on yourself."

"Scarlett, I will never forget the look in your eyes when you read the message," Jax chuckled.

"It was genius," she admitted.

"Flattery isn't going to get you out of this."

He opened the plastic eyeshadow container and handed her a make-up brush.

"Truthfully, it would be a lot easier if I could sit up."

"Will I have any more cooperation problems with you if I let you sit up?"

"No."

Jax got up and watched as she used her arms to push herself upright. He helped her adjust the pillows supporting her back before he resumed his position, straddling her legs below her knees to avoid putting strain on them.

"Why are you still sitting on my legs?"

"Get busy painting me or I'll start . . . stripping . . . _all_ your clothes off you so I can draw on you."

Scarlett didn't need to be told twice. She hastily grabbed the make up brush on the bed and took the plastic eyeshadow box from him. Her hands trembled as she began to cover his abs with brown eyeshadow. She was drawing the boat first.

Jax made one miscalculation when he devised this punishment—the physical effects it would have on him. It turned out he was also testing his own self-control. He had to grit his teeth to keep from groaning as she touched him.

At least he was pleased with the effect he was having on her. Her face was flushed and her hands hadn't stopped trembling. She touched him like she'd never touched a man before kind of shy and gentle like she was exploring him.

"That isn't a very good boat," Jax said looking down at his stomach.

"I can't draw very well and it was easier when you were asleep."

"Not as much fun for me," he said with a smile.

"More fun for me though," she whispered.

Jax laughed.

"You need to do the water and then one flower."

"Will I be done then?"

"With the drawing portion of the punishment."

"There's another portion?"

"Yeah."

Scarlett frowned, but kept silent as she applied the blue eyeshadow to his abs taking care to get it in the little ripples in his hard sculpted abs. She hastily drew a quick flower with the pink eyeshadow.

"Done," she said.

"You didn't do the outline."

Scarlett's lips tightened. She picked up the black kohl crayon and outlined the boat and the flower.

"How's that?"

"I should make you start all over. It's a pretty bad effort."

"That isn't fair. It was hard to draw with you awake and watching me. The writing also was distracting."

Jax looked down at the art on his stomach. He shook his head. It was a very poor art job.

"I'll take pity on you because you really are terrible at art," Jax said. "Get up and come into the bathroom with me."

"Why?" Scarlett asked with a mix of dread and fear in her voice.

"You need to clean me up. I'm taking pity on you by letting you use soap and a wash cloth."

"That's pity?"

"I could make you do it while I'm naked in the shower," Jax suggested. "If you would prefer that . . ."

"Wash cloth and soap," Scarlett said quickly. "No more complaints from me."

Jax chuckled. He loved having the upper hand with the beautiful and mischievous Scarlett.

She followed him into the bathroom, took a washcloth from the rack of towels on the wall above the toilet and began to lather it with the little rectangle hotel soap.

"Don't you want to know how I discovered your art work?"

Scarlett kept her eyes on the soap and running water to build a soapy lather. She shook her head.

"I found out at work. In front of all the guys. There was quite a discussion on art. Who knew bikers knew so much about art?"

Scarlett bit her lip to keep from laughing.

"Is the water temperature OK," she asked sweetly as she began to clean off her artwork and the words he'd written.

"It's perfect."

Scarlett carefully cleaned off Jax's abs being careful not to look up at him as she worked.

"Is that OK?" she asked after she'd cleaned him up.

"Dry me now," he commanded.

Scarlett took a towel from the rack and dried Jax.

"All done," she said. They returned to the bedroom.

"Now, are you going to behave?"

"I wouldn't count on it," she said with mock sadness. "I have impulse control issues."

"I'll see what I can do to help you with that. There's a bonus punishment."

Jax grinned at the look of outrage on her face.

"

 _Next Up: Bonus Punishment_

 _Also: Try one of my other stories_ 52 Shade of Jax _under_ MVeneer _. It's light and fun and there's even a chapter with bondage and a naked Jax tied to a bed and it doesn't go the way anyone imagines. The version of Tara in this story is more like Scarlett and not like TV Tara not that there was anything wrong with TV Tara._


	233. Chapter 233

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 233 Bonus Punishment**

"

Scarlett didn't feel punished—at least not yet. Touching Jax when he was asleep was easier than when he was awake, but awake added a whole new exciting dimension. It was the way he looked at her when she was touching him that made her feel like she was going to burst into flames.

She was feeling all the stuff romance novels told her she was supposed to feel when she touched a man, but it still scared her. Maybe Jax and his overload of testosterone was more than she could handle, but as long as her brain was in control, she should be OK.

She'd gotten through all the punishment pretty easily with some embarrassment that was easily outweighed by the pleasure of being forced by Jax to touch him. Still, she wasn't going to let him take advantage of her at least not without a little bit of a fight.

"You never said anything about bonus punishment," Scarlett said outraged.

"You shouldn't have made me pick the punishment," Jax said, rocking on his heels and smiling at her. "That triggered the bonus punishment."

"That's not fair. You didn't tell me that."

"Scars, darlin', life isn't fair."

"You're taking advantage of me."

"Just like you did to me when I was asleep."

Scarlett looked down at the carpet. She still felt bad about her inappropriate behavior when he was drunk, but he had come to her drunk. It wasn't the same as a guy getting a girl drunk for sexual purposes or someone dosing a drink for the same reason. He had sort of deserved it, but she decided it was best not to mention that or things might get worse for her.

"Just get it over with."

"Hands behind your back," he ordered.

Scarlett looked up at him. She never got used to his size. She was tall and wasn't used to guys towering over her and Jax towered over her. His strength was also something new. She was used to office types. Jax was much more physical.

"I'm not going to hurt you."

"Where's the fun in that?" Scarlett asked. The words slipped out without thought. "I didn't mean that," she added hastily.

Jax laughed softly. Scarlett put her hands behind her back. Jax wrapped his left hand around her small, slender wrists imprisoning them. He rubbed his beard along her jaw.

"I'm kind of ticklish," she whispered.

"So you would rather that I'm rough and not gentle?"

Scarlett thought her heart was going to pound out of her chest. She was sure that Jax wasn't talking about rubbing his beard against her skin now.

"Nothing," she replied. "I'd rather nothing."

"Not an option for you," he whispered in her ear as he began to rub his beard along her neck. Scarlett tugged, trying to free her wrists. His grip was too strong and she quit struggling.

He rubbed his beard along her neck and then he began to kiss her neck slowly. She felt weak in the knees. She sucked in her breath and concentrated on not showing a reaction to what Jax was doing to her. He took a nibble out of her earlobe before pulling away.

"The four years without sex is starting to show," he observed as he released her wrists. A smile was tugging at his lips.

"I can go another four years no problem," she said coolly, but her face was flushed. "I can take care of my own sexual needs. Thanks."

Jax burst into laughter.

"I wasn't suggesting having sex with you. I was offering you a free medical assessment."

"I've heard about your reputation. Have you ever turned a girl down for sex?"

Jax frowned, appearing to think.

"I can't remember ever turning a girl down for sex," he said leaning down to whisper in her ear, "but you could be the first."

She didn't believe for a second Jax would turn her down. For a moment, Scarlett thought about pointing out to Jax that it was still early and asking him if they could do the punishment again—especially the last part, but her brain took control.

Pointing out to Jax that he didn't seem to understand the whole concept that punishment was supposed to discourage the punished behavior would not be smart. He could come up with some actual punishment that she might not enjoy.

All she knew was she wanted to do something again because she was going to be a bad bad girl and Jax was going to need to punish her again and again and probably again.


	234. Chapter 234

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 234 Nonprotective Order**_

Tara saw Josh Kohn in one of the surgical waiting rooms. She knew she'd seen him last night when she was with Scarlett, but she'd hoped that she had been wrong. She didn't think he was crazy enough to follow her to Charming, but she'd underestimated his obsession with her.

"Tara, do you have a minute?" he asked walking up to her.

"I have an order of protection . . ."

"Actually you don't," Kohn said interrupting. "You got an order of protection from some small mall cop police department. They didn't have jurisdiction. It doesn't matter because it was only a _temporary_ restraining order. You have to go to court before a judge for a trial. You present evidence and I present evidence. The judge rules. You didn't do that."

"They didn't tell me that," she said.

"The paperwork somewhere should have told you that."

Now that he'd mentioned a judge and a trial, she remembered seeing something in the paperwork about that, but she decided to get out of town. He was right. Of course he was right. He was an ATF agent. He knew all the legal tricks.

"I don't want anything to do with you," Tara said. "If you touch me, I'll get a _legal_ order of protection. I know the chief of police and a judge. This isn't corrupt Chicago."

"No, it's Charming where you know the police chief and a judge," he said drily. "That's not corrupt."

"What about using ATF influence that kept me from getting the protective order in the first place?"

"It's not my fault that law enforcement doesn't want to help a woman file a bogus order of protection against a fellow law enforcement brother."

"Put your hands on me again and it will be the last time," Tara said.

"You don't have anything to worry about. I just got a little angry. It won't happen again."

"It happened three times."

"I didn't hurt you."

"You slammed me against a wall so hard I almost lost consciousness and you hit me hard enough to leave bruises."

"I'm a passionate guy."

Tara rolled her eyes.

"I have nothing to say to you."

"Well, I have something to tell you. I'm here on ATF business."

She looked at him with disbelief.

"The hospital?"

"No, the town," he said impatiently.

"What a coincidence! I'm here and you just happen to be here on business from Chicago."

"Caught me by surprise too," he admitted. "I was tracing some gun running. Not a secret. Firearms are a big part of the ATF. The A and the T not as much," he said with a laugh. "I don't suppose you know anyone who sells guns from Charming? Maybe an outlaw biker club?"

"No idea what you are talking about," Tara said quickly.

Her denial wouldn't deter Kohn. He was going to come after Jax no matter what she said about gun running. She had never said anything about illegal activities to Kohn. She wasn't that stupid and Jax kept quiet about the club's illegal activities.

"I have this feeling in my gut this is going to end up with the collapse of the Sons of Anarchy. Your boyfriend Jax Teller is going down."

"Ex-boyfriend," she corrected quickly. "He's got a girlfriend. She and I are friends. She's a beautiful blonde and they are very much in love," Tara said stretching the truth a bit. She wasn't sure Jax and Scarlett were in love, but she had a feeling it was inevitable.

She was trying to protect Jax. She hoped that she could convince Kohn that Jax and Scarlett were a solid couple. She hoped that he would then not feel a need to rescue her from Jax by killing either her or Jax.

"I guess your plan to get him back isn't working very well," there was satisfaction in Kohn's voice.

"I never planned to get back together with him," she told him coldly. "I left to get away from you and this was where I felt safe."

She decided to tell him one version of the truth. She did leave Chicago to get away from him and she did feel safer here than anywhere else because she knew people in town even if David Hale was the only person who had welcomed her with open arms. Josh Kohn didn't need to know that.

"Keep feeling safe, Tara," Kohn said.

She heard the unmistakable threat in his voice. He was going to come for her or Jax or both of them. She needed to be ready.

 _ **Author's Note: The legal information is correct. Tara could not have gotten a permanent order of protection from a police department. She would have gotten a temporary order of protection or restraining order. As an ATF agent Kohn would have fought an order of protection because it would have had a work impact. The lack of an order of protection makes him more dangerous to her because she has no legal means to keep him away from her until he does something.**_


	235. Chapter 235

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 235 Driver's Seat**

Jax was in the driver's seat of Scarlett's red Corvette. He was also in the driver's seat in their relationship; Scarlett just didn't know it. She was currently sleeping in the passenger seat. Since she was going to be putting a wig on, she hadn't combed her hair so it was waving and curling around her shoulders and over her eyes. She looked sexy as hell.

He had so many plans for her and he was playing her perfectly. He knew punishment was supposed to discourage bad behavior, but it didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it. His punishment of Scarlett had been all pleasure for him. It had also tested his self control.

Watching the shy way she touched him with her trembling hands as he straddled her legs had required close to every ounce of self-control he had to not pull her under him. Long term, he'd kept telling himself. He wasn't looking to have just a night.

He also had to respect her physical limits. If he tried to push her into having sex with him, he had no doubt she'd end things with him. Her psycho ex had abused her emotionally. He was willing to bet that he had also abused her physically or sexually and that might have to do with why she didn't want a man to touch her. It might be something she couldn't even admit to herself.

He had deliberately made punishment part punishment and part pleasure for her. Her cheeks were flushed and she couldn't make eye contact with him while she painted him with eyeshadow. Her embarrassment was kind of sweet. He didn't know many, maybe not any, girls that got embarrassed.

He'd made a telling discovery about Scarlett. The closer he got to her physically and emotionally, the shyer she got. He liked that she didn't share herself with every guy that crossed her path.

Four years without sex. He couldn't imagine that. Knowing that he was the first man she'd allowed to touch her in that time made him feel closer to her. It also made him feel oddly protective. Maybe that was because he wanted to make sure that he was the first man she had sex with after that four years.

When her sexual dam broke, he wanted to be that man. She had four years of pent up sexual frustration that needed worked out and he had the tools for the job. It wasn't all sex and she wasn't just a conquest. He enjoyed being with her. She brought a calm and a sense of fun to his life that he hadn't known before her.

He wasn't trying to discourage Scarlett's misbehavior. He thought it was funny that she'd drawn on him while he was asleep. He shouldn't have turned up drunk to her room. He had deserved what he got, but he wasn't about to let her know that.

When she misbehaved again, and there was no doubt in his mind that there would be another time, he needed to figure out how he was going to punish her. He'd like to turn her over his knee and spank her. Nothing hard or anything. Just gentle pats. He would never hurt her physically.

He turned his attention to Opie. He was getting out of jail on Friday and the club was making a big deal of his homecoming. They were making a run down to Chino to get him and then they would camp overnight maybe somewhere around Santa Barbara.

Opie was a family man so there would not be the usual night of debauchery with strippers and porn stars which was the customary way the MC celebrated a member's release from prison. Actually that was a lot like every Friday night at the clubhouse. He didn't know if he were growing up or growing old, but it was growing old.

He was even going to invite Scarlett to the BBQ on Sunday at the park. He typically never had a girl at an MC social event so he could be free to find a new girl. He would rather spend time with Scarlett.

Besides, she was bound to misbehave and then there would be more sweet, pleasurable punishment for her and to her.

"

 _Future Chapters: The park BBQ will have three big plot points and one of them might look like a cat fight with women though and not cats. Scarlett might have to be punished again. There might also be a surprise guest at Opie's party, but not a happy to see you kind of guest. Oh, and Clay gets to know his daughter. Can Scarlett prove to him that he isn't her father?_

 _"_

 _Emily, Scarlett's also playing a long game with Jax. MV_


	236. Chapter 236

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 236 Cropped Out**

He stared at the computer screen before picking up the laptop and hurling it at the window. It was bulletproof so it didn't break, but the laptop shattered. He wasn't worried. Everything was backed up to the cloud.

Son of a bitch. Just when he thought he had finally tracked her down with some biker, there were more pictures of possible sightings on the internet. The picture at the carnival hadn't been that good either. Probably wasn't her.

It hadn't been that close a match, but he was desperate to find her and hurt her. Maybe cut her apart piece by piece. He had never felt such hate until she'd left him at the altar. She humiliated him in front of all of his friends and business associates. She'd also stolen a great deal of money from him. He had every reason to hate her.

He looked at the picture again. Someone had cropped out the blonde woman and the biker. It didn't make sense. Why crop them out of the photo? It would be normal to crop the picture and then post it. Why crop it after it was posted? Maybe one of them was married or they were both married and didn't want a picture of them together on the internet. Or, the photo was cropped because she'd discovered it on the internet and asked the person who posted it to crop her out of it so he couldn't find her. It was pure chance that he had seen the original picture.

They could find the person who posted the picture and find out why the picture had been cropped, but that could get back to her. If she suspected that he was getting close to her, she would run. Each time she ran, it was harder to find her.

Finding the motorcycle club the man belonged to shouldn't be that hard. There were a limited number of clubs. They could watch the bikers and wait to see if she turned up.

He drummed his fingers on his desk as he tried to decide if he should pursue this lead. _Why crop the photo after it was posted?_ The question swirled in his mind in an endless loop. Maybe he was beginning to lose his sanity and objectively. All he knew was that he needed to find her and hurt her until he didn't hurt anymore.


	237. Chapter 237

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 236 Die Daughter**

"

Clay stretched out his hands. Gemma had shot them up with steroids before the run to Chino to get Opie. They felt better and he could move his fingers, but he knew he had three years at the most before his hands would prevent him from riding. He would have to step down as president of SAMCRO. Before that happened, he needed to put away a very large sum of money to keep him and Gemma comfortable in retirement.

Before he became SAMCRO president, he believed in all that equality bull shit. Now, he believed he should lead the MC and they should do as they are told. He thought of it as a kind of benevolent dictatorship or it was like the military and he was the commanding officer.

To make the money he needed for his retirement, he needed to sell more guns and take a few more risks. This was why he was pretending that he was happy Opie was getting out of jail early and not feeling any true pleasure.

With Opie back, it could tilt some of the balance of power at the table to favor Jax. This was why he recruited Juice into the MC. He wasn't really MC material. He was too much of a pussy, but he looked up to him like he was his father. Juice would do what he told him to do. That was crucial with Opie being back.

Bobby, Tig, Chibs, Jax, Juice, Sack and Happy greeted Opie with hugs and a lot of back slapping. Sack had driven the van with Piney riding shotgun. Opie's bike was strapped securely to the back so he could ride it back to Charming. As president, Clay had been the one to give Opie his cut. Opie had teared up and there was another round of back slapping and calling each other brother.

Finally, they got the hell out of Chino. Clay hated Chino. The smog would have been bad enough, but the town reeked of cow shit from all the dairies. It was particularly pungent in the summer heat. He had also narrowly avoided going down on his bike thanks to a large pot hole. Fucking Chino.

As he went through the motions, Clay wondered when he quit believing in all that brotherhood shit and began believing that the MC was just a way to make a lot of money. It must have been a long time ago because he couldn't remember the last time he thought of SAMCRO as a band of brothers and not just criminal associates.

That damn Buck Jeffers called him last night. He was on the edge from that too. He was still on his way to California and Charming for a visit. He needed to get Jeffers killed before he got to Charming, but he didn't know Jeffers precise location making killing him impossible. He needed to decide whether he was going to kill Jeffers himself or find someone to do it for him. He didn't have long to decide and finding a competent hitman wasn't easy as he knew from the failed attempts on Bucky.

He couldn't risk the killing coming back to him. Maybe he could set him up some way so the MC orders the kill. Make him look like a rat. Something like that. He didn't know the details, but he was beginning to like the idea.

More important than the balance of power at the table and Buck Jeffers impending visit was the problem of his daughter. The second he saw her, he knew that was the kid that saw him kill her mother. The eyes were identical. Her face was different because she'd just been a kid, but eyes don't change.

He worried every second since he'd met her that she was going to get him arrested. He'd killed her mother. It was a safe bet that she wasn't in Charming to get to know him. She had to have some kind of plan. He needed to kill her immediately.

Between all the damned surveillance cameras and DNA testing, it was getting harder and harder to get away with murder. And then there were cell phones that ratted out your location. There were just so many damned details in killing someone.

He needed to lure the girl somewhere and kill her. Bury her in Chigger woods in a nice deep grave. No one would ever find her and women went missing all the time.

Tomorrow at the picnic at the park, he would talk to her one last time. If he thought there was even a remote possibility that she was his daughter, he would kill her and the sooner the better.


	238. Chapter 238

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 238 Daddy Dearest**

Scarlett didn't like large gatherings of people. They brought out her shy awkward side. She'd learned over the years how to hide her uneasiness and appear like she was having a good time even when she was miserable.

Jax warned her that Tara might be at the picnic since she and Donna were good friends. She'd shrugged off this information.

She hated the dating shows where a group of women fight for a man of questionable value. Here's a man. He's a prize because TV producers are saying he's a prize. Compete, back stab each other and cat fight for him. To her, it made the women look desperate.

Scarlett drove to the park. The MC guys were going to make a big entrance on their bikes. She thought it was a little silly, but wisely kept her opinion to herself.

She had dressed simply in a pair of dark wash jeans and a V-neck bright grass green shirt that almost matched the color of her eyes. Her hair was drawn back into a messy ponytail. She added an usual bracelet to complete her look.

Despite being at the park early, Gemma was there with about thirty people, a mix of men, women and children. Scarlett debated offering her help to Gemma. A week of physio hadn't given her any physical improvement. Walking was still slow and painful. She decided not to volunteer her help since there was little help she could give. Gemma had a dozen women helping her and a couple of men were tending two park grills.

According to Jax, the MC had two big celebrations every year, one at Christmas and one in the summer. Opie's release from prison was perfectly timed for the annual picnic.

Most of the kids were playing on the park's playground except one little blonde headed girl who looked to be about seven sitting at a picnic table alone. Scarlett walked over to her.

This was something her mother taught her to do—to go over and talk to the people who were alone especially kids at a social gathering. Her mother would always find the one kid that was being left out and make the child feel better.

"Hi," she said. "My name's Scarlett. What's yours?"

"Ellie."

"Are you going to the picnic?"

Ellie nodded.

"My dad is in SAMCRO. He got out of prison yesterday."

"His name's Opie," Scarlett said, smiling at the girl.

"How did you know?"

"Jax Teller told me. How is it having your dad back?"

Ellie took a few moments to reply.

"It's good."

Scarlett nodded.

"My parents got divorced when I was little. I lived with my dad and sometimes I wouldn't see my mother for months. It was hard each time I saw her because she felt like a stranger, but she was my mother. Do you feel like that with your dad being back?"

"Yeah. He doesn't feel like my dad."

"You just need to get used to him being back. It will take some time. That's how it was for me and my mom.

"How long did it take you?"

"It depended on how long she'd been away. The longer she'd been away, the longer it took for me to get to know her again."

Ellie thought that over for a moment before nodding her head.

"Are you Jax's girlfriend?"

"I don't know."

Ellie giggled.

"Girls are always chasing after Jax."

"I'm not chasing after him. He's chasing after _me_."

Ellie giggled again.

"I've never seen him chase after a girl before."

"The only reason I'm letting him catch me is because I hurt my back and I can't run."

Ellie and Scarlett both laughed. She was glad she'd gone over and talked to the little girl.

"Do you think when I'm old enough I might have a chance with him?"

Scarlett shook her head quickly.

"No, absolutely not. By the time you are old enough for Jax, he'll be old, bald and fat. He'll lose all his muscles."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I never thought about what he would look like if I was old enough for him. I didn't think about him getting old while I was growing up. You really think he'll be bald?"

"I'm afraid so. It won't be good looking bald either."

Ellie asked about Scarlett's unusual bracelet. Scarlett had just finished explaining her unique bracelet when they heard the sound of motorcycles in the distance.

"They're coming," Ellie squealed with excitement.

She led Scarlett to the curb where all the bikes would ride past.

"Scarlett, this is my mom and my brother Kenny."

"I'm Donna, Opie's wife."

"I'm here with Jax," Scarlett said. "I don't know anyone and Ellie has been so nice to me. She's really a great kid."

Ellie beamed with pride at hearing Scarlett's praise.

There were about sixty people waiting for the bikers to make their entrance. They zoomed past while the crowd cheered and clapped. It was like the men of SAMCRO were rock stars and Jax was the lead singer.

She watched how the women looked at him like they were hungry and they wanted to devour him. She knew of his reputation, of course, but this was the first time she had seen his effect on women firsthand. It definitely explained his swagger.

After the men parked their bikes, they came over to all the well wishers. Opie hugged Donna and his kids. Jax surprised her by hugging her. All the women stared daggers at her. Their jealousy felt good to Scarlett.

There were three tables set up in addition to the picnic tables already in the park. A card table held paper plates, forks, napkins, hot dogs the men had been grilling along with squeeze bottles of mustard and ketchup. The other two tables had typical picnic food potato salad, cole slaw, pasta salad and macaroni salad.

Scarlett sat at a table with Jax, Opie, Donna, Kenny and Ellie. Jax and Opie told stories about the days when they were prospects together. Scarlett could see that Kenny and Ellie were proud of their father despite his having been in prison. Scarlett would later learn that going to prison was a badge of honor.

After everyone finished eating, Gemma and her army of Crow-eaters gathered up all the trash and began putting away all the salads before they spoiled in the hot sun.

Suddenly, Scarlett found herself alone. Jax and Opie had been sent to Gemma's to pick up the ice cream sundae cups in boxes in Gemma's freezer and Donna had taken the kids off to the playground.

Clay wasted no time in taking advantage of this chance to spend some quality alone time with his daughter.


	239. Chapter 239

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 239 Charm Bracelet**

In the last days of her engagement, Scarlett learned how to hide her fear of her fiancé. Despite her experience, it was still a struggle not to show how afraid she was of Clay. He had choked the life out of her mother and she knew he wouldn't hesitate to kill her too. This was the moment she needed to save her life by convincing him that she wasn't his daughter.

Clay sat down next to her at the picnic table. Scarlett began to nervously fiddle with her bracelet.

"You enjoying the picnic?"

"I am," she said forcing herself to smile. "The whole MC thing is new to me too. I've got a lot to learn about the MC way of life."

"I'm sure Jax won't mind teaching you," Clay said with a smirk. "What's with that bracelet you keep turning around?"

"It's my mother's birthday today. She made this bracelet for me, so I'm wearing it as a tribute to her memory. It's got pictures of her, my dad and me."

He had taken the bait. That was a relief. It would look more natural if he asked her about the bracelet than if she had brought it up.

Her bracelet had six pewter colored little picture frames separated by beads strung on two elastic cords to keep the inch long black and white photos from twisting.

"This is a baby picture of me. Here's a picture of my mom and my dad. Here's us together. This is when I was about nine with my mom."

Scarlett continued pointing out the pictures and explaining them to Clay. There was one picture that her father had photoshopped his head on another man's body; other than that, all the pictures were taken from the internet.

Her father had come up with the brilliant idea that they didn't have to prove that she wasn't Clay's daughter; they just needed to prove Eden wasn't her mother and Scarlett wasn't the girl that saw him kill her mother. The woman that was supposed to be her mother bore no resemblance at all to her mother. The woman had long stick straight, fair hair, dark eyes and a large mole on her chin.

The child that was standing in for Scarlett bore more resemblance to her. She had dark hair and light colored eyes, but since the photos were all in black and white, the eye color couldn't be determined.

Her mother had made her a bracelet with pictures and given it to her shortly before Clay killed her. She kept it in a safe at the lake house. Her father had made the bracelet she was wearing today. He had given it to her last night after dinner.

That was her dad. He was always doing kind thoughtful things for her. It must have taken him many hours to find the pictures, print them out, put them in the little picture frames and string them all together. This was the perfect way to convince Clay she wasn't the little girl that watched him kill her mother.

She understood that this bracelet wasn't definitive proof that he wasn't her father, but she was counting on Clay believing that she wasn't smart enough to come up with the bracelet idea. She found that being pretty caused people to underestimate her intelligence. She was betting her life that she was smarter than Clay.

It was hard to think of him as her biological father. She felt nothing but hate and fear. One day, she would see him kicked out of the MC and sent to prison where he would have to fight for his life every single day. That helped her smile and talk to Clay; she was focused on her end game.

Jax and Opie returned each carrying a large foam cooler with ice cream sundae cups some with strawberry topping and others with chocolate. The word that there was ice cream quickly spread and thanks to Gemma's planning, everyone got at least one ice cream cup sundae. Scarlett noticed some kids going through the line three times, but no one was turned away.

Jax brought one of each flavor to Scarlett so she could choose. She picked chocolate.

"I knew you were going to pick that one," he said.

"I'm a woman," Scarlett said. "and women tend to like chocolate. It's our reward for putting up with men."

"Yeah, they all say that," he smiled at her and took Clay's seat at the picnic table. "You have an interesting talk with Clay?"

"My bracelet has pictures of my dad, my mom and me. Clay didn't say anything about recognizing my mother when I showed him the pictures. I'm sure it was just a one night or two fling, but still I'd kind of been hoping he would recognize her."

"It was a lot of years ago," Jax said in a soothing tone of voice.

Scarlett felt bad about lying to Jax, but it was a question of survival and she wasn't sure how much she could trust him. If she got to the place where she could trust him with most of her secrets, she would go back and correct all the lies she was telling him. He was the first person she'd ever felt bad about lying to because he was the first guy she thought of having a future with.

Donna and Opie returned to the picnic table with their ice cream. The kids had gone to sit at another table of children.

Now that she'd done what she'd needed to do with Clay, Scarlett relaxed and felt something she'd never felt before—what it was like to be with a man that practically every woman in the area wanted. This is what it must feel like to be with a rock star and the hot actor, she thought. She understood the Jax Teller swagger now.

Tara had arrived in time to get an ice cream cup sundae. She sat down at their table. Everyone including Gemma was staring at them. It grew quiet as everyone except the tables of kids wanted to hear what was being said at their table. It was the typically dull conversation about the weather, Tara's job, Scarlett's business, SAMCRO and how glad Opie was to be back in Charming.

Scarlett had gotten her fingers sticky when she was eating her ice cream. She got up carefully from the bench and told Jax she was going to wash her fingers off in the drinking fountain.

Tara watched Scarlett make her slow painful way to the fountain before following her.

The cat fight was on!

 **Author's Note: There is actually a bracelet kit available in craft stores or the internet that you can use to make the described bracelet.**


	240. Chapter 240

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 240 Cat Fight**

Jax reached into his cut and pulled out an envelope stuffed with cash. It was the money Scarlett had given him for driving her to physiotherapy. He'd taken a little out of it, but he'd decided to give most of it to Opie and Donna.

He handed the envelope to Opie.

"Just part of your combat pay," Jax said referring to the money Clay had given to Opie on Friday.

He didn't want Opie to know the money came from him personally or he wouldn't accept it. Jax was going to make a lot of money driving Scarlett to physio and he didn't have kids to support like Opie. It just seemed like the right thing to do.

"Thanks brother," Opie said.

He showed Donna the envelope and she hugged him before he put the cash stuffed envelope in the pocket of his cut.

"You might want to keep an eye out for Scarlett," Opie said gesturing toward Scarlett and Tara at the drinking fountain.

"Scarlett told me they are friends," Jax said.

"Really?" Opie asked skeptically. "Tara was the cat fight queen back in her day."

"Believe me," Jax said chuckling, "I remember."

Tara had probably had cat fights with at least a half dozen of the women at the picnic back when she and Jax were together. He had enjoyed watching Tara fight girls. It had made him feel that she did it out of love.

An older, wiser and more mature Jax saw the fights differently. Tara's fighting was a symptom that something was wrong in their relationship. She had been insecure in their relationship and she hadn't trusted him.

She was fighting for her territory—him. She didn't understand that all the cat fights in the world wouldn't fix their relationship problems. That was something for them to have worked out together.

"Scarlett will get her butt kicked," Opie said. "She can barely walk."

Jax noticed that most of the adults at the picnic were watching Scarlett and Tara because they had either been in fights with Tara, witnessed fights or heard about them. Most expected something to happen between the two women. They didn't have long to wait.

"He's mine," Tara shouted.

"He hasn't been yours in ten years," Scarlett replied raising her voice.

"I'm not about to let some blonde whore take him away from me," Tara yelled.

"I am not a whore," Scarlett screamed, "and I'm only a fake blonde."

There was a ripple of laughter at Scarlett's confession.

"You're a five dollar hooker."

"You have to pay men to sleep with you and they still have to put a bag over your face."

There was more laughter from the audience. Jax couldn't believe what he was hearing. Scarlett and Tara in a screaming fight over him? It just didn't make sense that Tara would act this crazy now not after their talk. He had made it clear to her that they were over.

This last insult from Scarlett must have pushed Tara too far because she grabbed Scarlett's ponytail. Scarlett grabbed Tara's hair. They weren't pulling each other's hair, just sort of gripping it.

Jax sprinted over to the two women. Scarlett was too fragile for a cat fight.

"What the hell has gotten into you two?" he demanded.

"Mad love for you," Tara said.

"You're just flat out crazy," Scarlett said.

"We could share him," Tara suggested.

"Like a threesome?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah," Tara said.

Jax liked the direction this conversation was taking. In the interest of peace between the two women, he was willing to help the peace process by having a threesome with them. It wouldn't be his first.

"No," Scarlett said pulling Tara's hair.

Tara replied by pulling Scarlett's ponytail.

Donna had gotten up from the picnic table and was standing next to Jax. Suddenly, she began clapping her hands.

"That was really great," she said.

Scarlett and Tara let go of each other's hair and smiled.

"I'm not here for Jax," Tara said loudly so the audience could hear her words. "I don't cat fight anymore. That was so last decade." Tara looked at Gemma when she said this.

"We're friends," Scarlett added also keeping her voice loud.

"You've just witnessed a fake cat fight," Donna said.

"We're all friends. The three of us," Tara said.

The women proved that by hugging each other. Tara waved and left the picnic. Donna returned to the table with Opie leaving Scarlett alone with Jax.

"You're in trouble," Jax said.

"What?" Scarlett demanded indignantly. Her voice was pitched so he was the only one who could hear her.

"Staging a fake cat fight? Really?"

Jax wasn't angry, but he wasn't about to let Scarlett know that. Later, he would have a good laugh over the whole thing except the threesome part. For a split second, he thought that was a possibility.

"It wasn't all my idea."

"I bet it was mostly your idea."

"It was mostly Tara and me. All of the insults were scripted and we don't believe the mean things we said to each other."

"You're still in trouble," Jax said sternly.

"Why isn't Tara in trouble?"

"Because she's not here with me and you are."

"Is there going to be punishment?"

Jax nodded his head.

"I'm afraid so," he said with mock grimness.

"What's it going to be?" Scarlett asked, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I'll think of something," he said gruffly.

He couldn't resist. He kissed her. He didn't care that it was in front of the whole MC.

"

 **Guest Reviews: I always rewrite PM to reviewers but with guest reviews that's not possible, so this is my way of writing a reply.**

 **Emily: Thank you. Your reviews always bring a smile to my fact. Glad you are feeling the heat between Scarlett and Jax. I think it's hot, but I'm not objective and getting someone else's opinion helps a lot.**

 **Unknown Guest Reader: Glad you immersed yourself in my world.**


	241. Chapter 241

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 241 Kill Her**

"

Today was supposed to be a great day. It was SAMCRO's annual picnic. It had all quickly gone to hell. Jax's blonde whore came to the picnic and he even sat with her. He never hung out with just one girl at MC events. She hated the blonde whore.

How much longer was that bitch going to be in his life? He should have gotten bored with her by now and moved on to another girl. Why the hell was he still with her? Could it be pity because she was crippled? Maybe she knew how to do some exotic sex stuff that Jax couldn't get enough of. That still didn't explain why she was at the picnic. If Jax wanted to use a girl for sex, he wouldn't have to socialize with her during the day.

Clay had even gone over to talk to her when Jax and Opie left the picnic. They seemed to have a nice conversation. What the hell was going on? Why were men such idiots over this blonde whore?

For a few seconds, she thought the day was going to be salvaged when Tara and the blonde whore started shouting at each other. The blonde had even said that men had to put a bag over Tara's face to have sex with her. Everyone had laughed. When they started pulling each other's hair, she was so excited because she was sure the blonde whore was going to get her ass kicked.

Of course, Jax had to interfere and break up the fight. It got worse because suddenly it all changed and it turned out to be pretend. Son of a bitch! What the hell! It got even worse and she hadn't thought that was possible when the blonde whore said that she and Tara are friends. Donna was even standing near Jax and all the women hugged.

She thought for sure that Jax was going to ream her out for making a public spectacle of herself. Instead they sort of whispered to each other. Mother fucker! _He kissed her in front of everyone._ How the hell had she turned Jax Teller into such a pussy? She wanted to learn the whore's secret.

There was one good thing. Tara had said that she wasn't back in Charming for Jax. One less girl competing for Jax was good news.

Jax would dump the blonde whore and then he would realize that she's the great love of his life because he would see her inner beauty. Maybe they would even get married. The idea of being Mrs. Jax Teller was too funny. She chuckled. Life was great! She just needed to have the right attitude.

Best of all, tonight she was going to finally kill Louise.


	242. Chapter 242

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 242 Push Toy**

Gemma stormed over to where Jax and Scarlett were sitting at a picnic table with Donna and Opie. This was her picnic and she wasn't about to let Jax's blonde push toy get by with pulling shit like faking a cat fight.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" Gemma demanded.

"Providing entertainment for the picnic," Scarlett said flippantly.

Jax and Opie chuckled.

Gemma's face flushed with anger.

"If I'd wanted entertainment, I'd have planned some."

"Good to know," Scarlett said.

Gemma didn't like it when a woman stood up to her. That had been part of the problem with Tara; she wouldn't obey her.

"Are you really friends with Tara?"

"Yes, that was the reason behind the fake cat fight. Since she's been back, there's been a lot of gossip about her. She told me that if we were at the picnic together, everyone would expect a fight."

"I don't think Tara is really the sort of person you should have for a friend," Gemma said. "She's always had an attitude problem and that's why everyone in town hates her."

"I don't hate her," Donna piped up.

Gemma didn't like Donna very much either. Beneath that mousy façade, Donna had a backbone. She tended to think for herself and didn't always fall into line like a proper old lady.

"I don't care what other people think of Tara. She wanted the town to know that she had changed and what better way than to fake a cat fight?" Scarlett asked. "Apparently, she used to get into a lot of fights."

"So you stage a fake cat fight?" Gemma raised her voice.

"It got everyone's attention and Tara got to tell everyone that she's changed."

"And do you approve of this friendship?" Gemma turned to Jax.

"Scarlett doesn't need my approval."

Gemma frowned. Jax had quit obeying her long ago, but that didn't mean that she liked it. As always, she was torn between wanting her son to grow into a strong, tough, independent man and wanting him to do what she told him.

"This has been fun, but I need to leave," Scarlett said.

Jax looked surprised and not in a pleased way, Gemma thought. Maybe there was trouble in their relationship. She knew the blonde push toy would never be able to go the distance with a man like her son.

"I'll walk you to your car," Jax said.

"I'm sure she can find her way on her own. The parking lot isn't that large."

"I'm blonde so parking lots are always a challenge regardless of size," Scarlett said twisting a lock of hair around her finger. "Sometimes, I have the hardest time getting a key into my ignition. Jax is really good at putting a key in my ignition."

"It's true," Jax said nodding. "I am an expert at putting a key in Scarlett's ignition."

Jax helped Scarlett up from the picnic table and led her past a speechless Gemma.


	243. Chapter 243

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 243 Ignition Key**

As they walked slowly to the parking lot, Jax helped Scarlett using her arm to support her over the uneven park grass.

"So, does this mean you want me to put my key in your ignition?" Jax asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It wouldn't fit," she said.

"Too big?"

"I guess I could have been nicer to your mother," Scarlett said, changing the subject.

"No, you handled Gemma right. If you don't stand up to her, she'll chew you up and spit out the pieces. I'm probably going to need to spend another hour here and then I'll come by."

"I'm not going to be in my room. David Hale is picking me up and we're going to finish watching _LA Confidential_."

Jax had been annoyed with Scarlett because she was leaving early. That had changed when she told him she was leaving him to be with Hale. What the fuck was wrong? Hale? She was leaving him to be with Hale. _Unfuckingbelievable._

"You don't think you could have mentioned this sooner?"

It took a lot of effort for him to keep his voice level. The more he thought about Scarlett and Hale together, the angrier he got. When he was with a girl, she was exclusively his for as long as he wanted. This was the way life worked in Charming for him. It had always been this way.

Men knew if they didn't want a Jax Teller beat down, they needed to wait for him to move on to another girl. Hale was the only guy in town who had the balls and power to challenge him and he didn't like it one bit.

"I assumed you were going to spend the evening doing motorcycle things. You only asked me to the picnic," Scarlett said coolly.

The tone of her voice only fanned the flames of his anger. No girl had ever treated him like this.

"You knew damned well when I asked you to the picnic it was for all day."

"I've been here all day. I don't know why you're making such a big deal of this. Don't you have all kinds of girls to pick from to spend the night with?"

"Is that what you want me to do?" Jax's anger was now in his voice.

"Would it be any different then how you spent Saturday night?"

"What the hell do you mean by that?"

"I'm not sitting in my motel room waiting for you."

That was exactly what he wanted her to do; he wanted her to be available to him whenever he wanted to see her. This meant no men especially Hale. It wasn't right and it wasn't fair, but he didn't care.

Outlaw biker clubs, in addition to breaking laws, didn't recognize a woman's equality. Women were property, the man made the decisions and women did as they were told.

In the very depth of his soul, Jax believed this too. He was trying to adopt a more modern view, but he was a work in progress.

When she had watched part of the movie with Hale the first time, it was before they had gotten to know each other. He thought they had gotten closer emotionally. He didn't get why she had to watch a movie she'd seen before with Hale so they could talk about it.

Now that he'd thought about it again, he was even more angry. If she wanted to talk about some damned movie, they could watch the movie together and talk about it. She didn't need anything Hale could provide.

"Enjoy your movie, Scarlett. I'm sure Hale would be more than happy to help if you have trouble getting a key in your ignition."

"Don't worry about me," she said with a smile. "I'm used to putting the key in my own ignition. I've found that I'm better at it than any guy I've met."

She pulled her arm free of his grip, got in her car and drove off.


	244. Chapter 244

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 244 Scarlett Rage**

The walk back to the picnic table had done little to cool Jax's temper. Gemma was gone leaving Opie and Donna at the table alone.

"Did you get your key in Scarlett's ignition?" Opie asked with a grin.

"All the sun gave her a headache," Jax said sourly.

He wasn't about to admit in front of Donna that Scarlett left him to be with Hale. Motherfucker! This was humiliating. This didn't happen to Jax Teller.

Donna laughed.

"You do know that women get headaches," she said.

"First time for everything, brother," Opie said.

Jax shook his head and mumbled under his breath.

"Scarlett and Tara are really friends?" Opie asked his wife.

"I was surprised too when Tara told me. Tara's in a good place now. She met a new guy. He writes and illustrates children's books."

Jax and Opie exchanged glances and laughed. That was about as far away from an outlaw biker as Tara could get. He hoped that worked out for her.

"Sometimes girls like the quiet, shy, sweet guy," Donna said defensively. "You're like that."

"Yeah and I'm a biker," Opie said.

Jax and Opie laughed again. Jax could never imagine writing a child's story and drawing pictures to go with it. He preferred a more action oriented life.

"What was your part in the fake cat fight?" Jax asked Donna.

"Tara called and told me what they were thinking of doing. They hadn't figured out an ending and I suggested that I would just go over to them and clap."

"You could have told me," Opie said, a trace of annoyance in his voice.

"They weren't sure they were going to do it. Everyone kept watching us waiting for something to happen. Maybe now, everyone will let Tara live her life."

"She definitely made a statement," Opie said.

"Tara's grown up a lot over the years. She's not the crazy jealous, cat fighter anymore," Donna said.

"You're all about sisterhood," Jax suggested skeptically.

"Why can you guys be all about brotherhood, but women can't be about sisterhood? Women aren't all backstabbing bitches."

Jax lost interest in the idea Scarlett, Tara and Donna forming some sort of sisterhood. He doubted it would last and he wasn't sure he bought this new version of Tara. He had a more pressing problem—wondering what the hell Scarlett was doing with Hale right now.

"Mary and Piney are taking the kids for three days starting tomorrow. We're going to just get in the car and go somewhere," Opie said.

Jax was happy that Opie and Donna seemed to be close. His stretch in prison had tested their marriage. She only managed to visit him once a month when he was in Chino due to the drive.

Maybe it was about time to check out the crow-eaters and figure out which one was going to get lucky with him tonight.

He wondered if Hale were going to get lucky with Scarlett tonight. Son of a bitch! Surely she wouldn't sleep with him. She'd told him that he was the first man in four years whose touch hadn't made her skin crawl. Could she have been playing him?


	245. Chapter 245

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 245 Jax Madness**

"

Scarlett changed into a white ruffled shirt and touched her make-up before calling her father.

"How did your picnic go?" her father asked.

"Your bracelet worked perfectly. I was alone for a few minutes while Jax did an errand for Gemma. Clay wasted no time in coming over to talk to me. I was fidgeting with my bracelet and he asked me about it. I showed him the pictures and as I explained each picture, I could feel his attention lessen.

"He bought the bracelet story completely. Clay isn't very smart. I don't think it would ever occur to him that the bracelet was faked so he wouldn't know I saw him kill my mother.

"I just had this feeling that he was getting ready to kill me and his talking to me today was my chance to save my life. Your bracelet saved me."

"I'm glad that worked. You still need to be on your guard with him."

"I know. I don't think I will have much contact with him. It's just strange because in my mind he was always such a big monster. I'm a lot bigger than I was when he killed mom, so he doesn't look so big now. I'm not as afraid of him."

"How are things with Jax?"

"He's mad at me. I left the picnic early because Hale's picking me up and we're going to finish watching _LA Confidential._ "

"And there was no other time for you to finish watching a movie you're seen what ten times?"

"It's not the seeing it; it's the talking about it. Jax waited until practically the last minute to ask me to the picnic. He needed to learn that I'm not always around for him."

"Sounds like you're jealous."

"His attitude about women needs improving. He told me after I'd only known him a few days that his club house was packed with women that would sleep with him."

Decker laughed.

"It's probably true," he said.

"I know," she said with an annoyed edge to her voice.

"You knew that he had been with women before you met him."

"It didn't bother me then. Now it does."

"You're emotionally attached to him and you're falling in love with him."

Scarlett didn't like hearing this because she already suspected it was true. She wanted her father to reassure her that her feelings weren't love. Love made you weak. She needed to be strong because she had to get Clay kicked out of the MC and sent to prison unprotected. After that, she and her father were going to destroy the Sons of Anarchy to keep it from destroying anymore lives.

"I don't love him," she said. "I'm not going to fall in love with him. I am focused on our goal."

"Think about having both. You can fall for him and use that to get Clay kicked out of the MC. Instead of destroying the MC, you could change it by influencing Jax."

"My mother tried to change the MC. She's dead. It has to be destroyed."

"She wiped out the Laredo chapter and she saved a lot of human trafficked kids and young women. She was naïve and it cost her her life, but your mom was a hero."

"I wish she'd thought about me more."

"Your mom didn't think it would lead to her death, but she felt so strongly about what she was doing, she took the risk. Just like a cop or a soldier, she paid with her life. She wasn't trying to die and she didn't want to leave you."

Scarlett's eyes filled with tears.

"I know," she whispered. "I have to go and fix my make-up before David gets here."

"You're on the right path with Jax."

"I don't know. I feel like I should run away."

"If you feel like you're in danger, you should leave, but if you're just afraid of your feelings for him, you need to stay and work that through."

"I have to go."

"Call me tomorrow. I need to know you're OK."

"I will."

Scarlett ended the call. She felt a long way from OK. How could she have been so stupid to fall for Jax Teller?


	246. Chapter 246

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 246 Unpleasant Surprise**

"

Jax was going to be able to keep his beautiful blonde push toy. Clay realized when she showed him her bracelet that this wasn't the child who saw him kill Eden. It was a relief. He didn't enjoy killing anyone in cold blood, but sometimes it was necessary.

Gemma, as always, did a great job with the MC's picnic. Lots of good food and everyone was happy. He lit up his cigar. It was illegal to smoke anything in the park, but Clay didn't care. He was above most of Charming's laws.

"Clay! Clay! Clay!" someone called.

Clay remembered that voice; it was Bucky Jeffers. He turned his head to find where the voice was coming from and saw Bucky waving at him like he was about to start some fucking car race. He was a short wiry man with shaggy chin length brown and gray hair, a wispy brownish beard and brown eyes. In his excitement at seeing his old friend Clay, he stepped off the curb directly into the path of an old Chevy Malibu.

The impact caused Bucky to fly up into the air and onto the hood of the car. He rolled off the hood of the car and the driver, who was taking a selfie when he hit Bucky, drove over Bucky. The car took off.

Jax and Opie saw Bucky get hit and jumped on their bikes to chase the driver down. He was only seventeen, so they gave him a mild beat down before turning him over to officers in a passing patrol car.

Bucky was bleeding and his body was broken. Just as paramedics arrived to scoop him up for transport to St. Thomas, his heart stopped. Paramedics quickly loaded him into the ambulance and restarted his heart with their portable defibrillator.

Clay, Gemma and Tig went to the hospital to wait for word on whether or not Bucky had cheated death again. Clay was still optimistic that Bucky was going to die. He was especially happy that he hadn't paid for another attempt to kill him.

After three hours, a doctor came out and gave them the news. Clay didn't really listen because he didn't care. All he wanted to know was whether or not Bucky was going to live. The answer was more complicated than that. He had a broken leg and arm, a ruptured spleen and a lacerated liver. He was in a coma and they didn't know if he would live.

A coma was the next best thing to death. Clay was optimistic that Bucky's luck was finally going to run out and he'd never leave the hospital alive.

Die Bucky Die! The words repeated over and over again in Clay's head like a religious chant. Die Bucky Die!

"

 _Future Chapters: Tara sabotages a date; Scarlett and Jax are getting to the relationship intersection of hell; Jax will ask a big question about sex; Jax will catch Scarlett in bed with another man and an unlikely person will try to help Jax and Scarlett and Louise may or may not stay alive._


	247. Chapter 247

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 247 Boat Fail**

"

Tara checked herself out in her new deep azalea pink scrubs before heading out for work on Monday. On Saturday, she and Scarlett did a little shopping. She was just going to get her normal Easter egg colored scrubs until Scarlett suggested she try deeper colors. She said if you want to be powerful, wear a powerful color.

It turned out Scarlett had a superpower of her own—being able to pick the perfect shade of a color. Tara tried on her choices and Scarlett's and the difference was amazing. In the pale colors she'd picked, she looked like she always did, but in the vivid colors Scarlett chose, her skin took on a glow, her hair seemed shinier and she actually looked prettier.

Scarlett explained that her father had dated a woman while Scarlett was in high school who taught her about color. She'd been a freelance color consultant and part-time interior decorator's assistant until she'd given it up, moved to Hollywood and become an aura healer and pet psychic to a group of direct to video movie stars. Scarlett's story made her laugh and Tara understood why Jax was always smiling and laughing when they were together.

Scarlett had warned her that she needed to sit down and couldn't stand or walk a lot, so Tara dropped her off at the front of the mall before parking. After shopping for scrubs, they took a break by getting pedicures. Scarlett preferred to do her own nails, but in her current condition she couldn't bend well enough to give herself a pedicure.

Next, Scarlett helped her find a couple of tops to wear with jeans. Tara told her about her date with Eric on Sunday afternoon. They were going sailing at sunset because he had a boat. Tara wasn't sure if the boat was the kind with sails or if it were more of a motorboat.

To Tara's amazement, Scarlett told her a true crime story about a woman, the woman's daughter and her friend. They had gone on a boat with a man they had just met who raped them, tied each to an anchor and tossed them overboard to their deaths. Tara had seen the same true crime investigation TV show.

She had told Scarlett about the man who killed his wife, turned up the air conditioning in their home to throw off time of death and then gone sailing as his alibi. Scarlett told her about the man who took his wife sailing, killed her, tossed her overboard and told police that it was an accident. He got caught when he confessed to his girlfriend.

It turned out that they had watched the same true crime TV stories with the same murders years ago. The two women had more than Jax Teller in common. Spending time with Scarlett reminded her of her happy days in college when she had friends and a social life before sacrificing everything for med school and her career.

While eating ice cream in the food court, they came up with the cat fight idea when Tara told Scarlett she was going to go to the SAMCRO picnic for a few minutes because Donna had invited her.

Tara confessed her cat fighting past. She told Scarlett that everyone would stare at her wondering when she was going to fight Scarlett. They decided to give the people what they wanted—a cat fight but on their terms.

It had been important to her to get people's attention to confront her past and to make a statement that she wasn't that crazy girl anymore. Nothing made a bigger statement that she'd changed than befriending Jax's new girlfriend.

When Tara returned home after shopping, she made a call to Eric changing the plan to go on his boat Sunday. She made up a problem with sea sickness. Sometimes it was better not to tempt fate.

He had taken the change in plans easily. If she'd done that with Kohn, he would have yelled at her. It was a clue to his personality that she didn't want to see because she really wanted him to be a more legal version of Jax and therefore the perfect man for her.

Eric wasn't like Jax, or at least the Jax that she knew back ten years ago. Maybe that wasn't such a bad thing. She liked his calm, easy-going demeanor.

For now, she was just going to enjoy his company just not on a boat until she knew him a lot better.

"

 _Upcoming Chapters: Scarlett and Jax find themselves at the intersection of relationship hell, Louise may die, Bucky fights for his life, Clay continues to chant "die, Bucky, die" in his head willing it to happen and on Saturday Jax will find Scarlett in bed with another man FINALLY._

"

The true crime stories mentioned are true.


	248. Chapter 248

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 248 Condo Conversion**

"

Scarlett was still annoyed the next morning when Jax picked her up for her physio appointment. He'd sent her a text late last night telling her he'd be by to pick her up for her physio appointment at 1 pm.

He had to text her. He couldn't even talk to her. Scarlett's eyes narrowed and her face had flushed when she got his text. She always thought it took a lot to make her mad, but Jax seemed to do it effortlessly.

There was a difference between being angry and letting it show. She could feel the emotion, but she would not let it show. She was also going to get some payback by fanning the flames of _his_ anger.

"I hate going to physio," Scarlett said to break the uneasy silence between them as they drove out of Charming past the "Sorry, you're leaving Charming" sign.

"I thought you liked your therapist," Jax said.

"I do. It's a great place, but it's just humbling to have to wake the muscles up in my body and get them to work again. My therapist has to lift my leg for me because I can't do it and then we work on moving it left, right and up and down while she holds it."

"You're a disaster," Jax said with a smile."

"At least I can walk. There's nothing wrong with my spine. It's all torn or pulled muscles. This injury is more difficult to recover from than the two back surgeries. Soft tissue injuries don't heal fast."

"Did she say how long you're going to be in therapy?"

"No, they never do."

"I definitely don't mind driving you."

"It's a luxury for me to be driven," Scarlett said.

She saw Jax give his friend Opie an envelope stuffed with cash when she'd been at the water fountain yesterday. It made her happy to see him treating his friend so generously. She wanted to believe that he wasn't solely motivated by money like the men that her ex was going to use to hunt her down and kidnap her if he ever found her.

They continued to change their appearances and switching to the Crown Vic to drive the final stretch to the physiotherapy center. Jax suggested that instead of finding a place to park the car like a garage or parking structure, he would continue to park it in residential areas using a new place each time he parked.

She agreed. It was easier to change her appearance in her motel room and then put a hat and sunglasses on to hide her disguise than to change her appearance in a garage. She suspected that she was going overboard with all the security precautions, but it was better to take too many than get found.

She waited until after therapy before she mentioned David Hale and her plans for the evening.

"I think I may have a new place to live," Scarlett said.

"Changing motels?"

"No. David's brother Jacob is moving out of his condo into his new house and he's decided to rent out his condo instead of selling it. David's taking me to see it tonight. He's even going to leave most of the furniture."

"Did you have a nice time watching your movie?" Jax asked with an edge to his voice.

"I did. Each time I see it, I find something new to appreciate. It's just such a monumental task to do a period movie. There are so many details to get right. Did you have a nice time last night with whatever you did?" Scarlett said sweetly.

She didn't think there was any sarcasm in her last sentence, but sometimes her sarcasm was unconscious and she crossed the line between sweet and sarcastic.

"As always," Jax said.

Scarlett nodded her head. That hadn't gone the way she'd planned. She might need to rethink her strategy.

"I almost forgot. David had a message to pass on to you. He said there was some new ATF agent in town. His name was Corn, or Conn or Clown. No, that's not right. It was Kohn."

Jax's grip on the steering wheel tightened. Scarlett knew enough to know that an ATF investigation couldn't be good news for the MC.


	249. Chapter 249

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 249 Kohn Con**

"

When Tara went to her car Tuesday morning she noticed pink rose petals leading out to her father's car and a pink rose on the windshield. Kohn used to do this when they were dating. It had been sweet then; now it was terrifying.

She turned around looking everywhere trying to see if he were somewhere watching her reaction. She didn't see him, but that didn't mean he wasn't somewhere hiding and watching her.

She drove to the hospital, checking her mirror looking for someone following her. There he was about three car lengths back in a blue sedan. He wasn't even trying to hide. He wanted her to know that he was watching her. It was all about terrorizing her.

She parked her car and made a point of walking past his car. That wasn't good enough. She went back and tapped on his windshield. He got out of the car.

"You're welcome for the pink rose," he said.

"You can shove all the pink roses in the world up your ass."

"Look at what Teller's done to your vocabulary," Kohn said with a shake of his head.

"I've told you I'm not with him."

"I believe you. It doesn't mean you don't want him back. His blonde girl is a lot hotter. She makes you look like a cow."

"And you wonder why I'm not with you anymore. Jax could give you lessons in how to treat a girl," Tara said.

As soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she'd made a mistake. She shouldn't have mentioned that Jax was superior in any way to him. It would just make him hate Jax more.

"When I put him in prison for the rest of his life, he can treat his cellie like a girl. His blonde girl won't stick by him. Maybe you could sweep in then and scoop him up. He'll need someone to feed his commissary account."

"You are going to have to fake the evidence because the MC has nothing to do with running guns."

Kohn laughed.

"It wouldn't be the first time. Some times, you just got to do what you got to do. I might be able to look the other way on some of the MC's bigger crimes. I might even be able to keep Teller out of jail if you came back to me."

Tara stared at Kohn and she could feel a deep wave of fear and revulsion. This was his play all along. He wanted to blackmail her into coming back to him by using his ATF investigation of SAMCRO.

"Go to hell," she said. She turned on her heel and left.

"You'll change your mind. My phone number is still the same," he called after her.

Tara was scared and this time she wasn't just scared for herself. Could Kohn really try to destroy the MC based on fake evidence or could SAMCRO have been sloppy and left evidence? She didn't want Jax to pay for her dumping Kohn.

She wondered who she could go to for help. Hale was only a local cop. Feds had a lot more power. She wasn't sure how Hale's father's influence compared to Kohn's. He was just a local judge. She didn't think she could get much help from him unless he had a useful contact somewhere.

Was there someone inside the ATF that she could go to and tell that Kohn was trying to extort her into a relationship with him? She would even be willing to wear a wire.

Maybe there was something she could do without telling the ATF. She could start recording Kohn herself. She would bring the proof of Kohn's corruption to someone inside the ATF, but she would have to be very careful. Kohn couldn't find out that she was going to fight him. She needed to let him think that she was afraid of him.

When she finished with Kohn, Jax wouldn't be in prison; Kohn would be the one in a cell with a commissary account.

 _ **Author's Note: Emily I promise you a jealous Jax. I'm going to try hard to meet your expectations. MV**_


	250. Chapter 250

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 250 How Many?**

"

Jax had called Scarlett Tuesday evening to ask if she wanted to go for a walk. She hadn't answered, so he'd left a message on her voice mail. He'd been planning a walk that would lead to staying overnight because she had an early morning physio appointment. She'd sent him a text message late Tuesday night saying she was too tired to go for a walk.

It annoyed the hell out of him that she'd texted instead of calling him. She also hadn't said what she'd been doing that left her too tired for a short walk. She had probably spent a long day working on setting up her décor business. Or maybe she'd been with Hale.

Hale was not a threat to him. Scarlett couldn't prefer Hale to him. He was Jax Teller. No woman in her right mind would pick Hale over him. He was cool, tough and a sexy as hell, outlaw biker. Scarlett was really into him. Definitely.

Jax had been patient for him. He had respected Scarlett's boundaries, but he needed to find out just what it would take for her to sleep with a guy . . . well, _not_ just a guy, _him_. He didn't want Scarlett's four years of celibacy to come to an end when she was with a guy that wasn't him.

He was going to find out what he needed to do to sleep with her. What kind of hoops did she want him to jump through and was he going to be willing to jump through them. Of course, he probably should have thought about asking her this a week or two ago, but he thought his powers of seduction would have worked their magic on her by now. _He'd made out with her in a bed and there was still no sex!_ Any other woman would have been in flames for him.

He hadn't even touched her breasts because he was a little afraid if he went too far, she would ice him out. He'd been waiting for a signal from her. That hadn't worked out so well. Maybe she had asbestos panties. He grinned at the thought.

This preoccupation with Scarlett was killing his sex life. He'd only been with a couple of crow-eaters shortly after he met her. He hadn't felt right about it after that. They were getting closer and he didn't want to screw that up, but he had needs. He'd lost track of how long he'd been without sex. If you lose track, you've gone too long. It was that simple.

He needed to know there was a chance that they would get together. When she said she would never have sex with him, he didn't believe her. What he heard was that she wanted a little time and attention. She wanted him to treat her with respect. He'd done that. What else did she expect?

As a worst case situation, he could just go back to sleeping with crow-eaters and seeing Scarlett and working on seducing her. He was willing to give her another week or maybe even two before he would go back to banging crow-eaters. He'd never done that for a girl before except Tara.

With Tara, he'd seduced her over a couple of months. He never regretted not sleeping with other girls while he waited for Tara to be ready for him. Maybe he needed to be a little more patient with Scarlett. She did have that back injury that would make sex challenging. He just wanted to make sure he was her first after four years.

Be smart Jax, he told himself. Tonight, he'd look up sexual positions for girls with injured backs. There must be something on the internet that would help him.

He waited until Scarlett was out of her Annie disguise and they were on their way back before he brought up the subject.

"My therapist had a cancellation on Friday at 11. Do you think that you could take me? The next week I only have one appointment because she was booked up."

"Yeah, that's fine. I'll let Clay know."

"Great. I think I'm noticing a bit of an improvement. It doesn't hurt as much when I walk."

"How many guys have you been with?" Jax asked.

So much for his plan to bring up the subject up smoothly, Jax thought. There probably wasn't a smooth way to bring that up anyway.

"What do you mean by being with?"

"Had sex with," Jax clarified.

"More than one and less than five. What about you?"

"More than one and less than a thousand."

Scarlett took this information in silently. Jax had the impression that his answer hadn't gone over that well.

"How do you decide when you're going to sleep with a guy?"

"Sleep or have sex with?" Scarlett asked.

"You know," Jax said. He watched as the traffic on the freeway ground to a halt all around them. "We're not going anywhere."


	251. Chapter 251

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 251 Spiral Down**

"

Scarlett decided this was a good time to play with Jax. Almost any time was a good time to play with Jax especially when she could have some fun with his ego.

"How do you decide if you're going to sleep with a girl? You check for a pulse?"

"Really?" Jax asked. "You think my standards are that low?" Jax shook his head in mock anger. "I also check to make sure they are conscious and capable of legal consent. I may be an outlaw biker, but not about sex."

"That's what makes you so damned irresistible. You are this badass biker, but you have this tender, romantic side to you."

"And despite that, you are never going to have sex with me."

"You are correct."

"So, how do you decide if you're going to sleep with a guy? Do you decide when you first meet him or does the answer come when you've seen him a couple of times?"

Scarlett thought about Jax's question and whether she should tell the truth. She didn't have any real reason to lie other than to keep him from getting closer to her emotionally. Her father's words about it being OK to fall in love with Jax were in the back of her mind. It just felt safer to keep him at a distance and lie to him.

There was some possibility that they could have a future together. Maybe it was time to take more risk with Jax and be more open and honest with him. It just seemed wrong to give a guy an honest answer. The tactic felt wrong, but she didn't have much experience with guys. Besides, she always liked to do things her way.

"The first couple of times, it was more curiosity. It definitely didn't live up to all of the hype. When I ran away from my psycho ex, I was done with men. Life is simpler that way."

Scarlett didn't like being vulnerable with Jax, but if they had a future, she was going to have to be vulnerable.

"You said life is simpler. You didn't say life was better."

Jax always surprised her when he showed insight into her. She wouldn't have expected it from an outlaw biker who had been with hundreds but less than a thousand women.

It would have made things easier if he had just been a shallow guy who went from girl to girl because he lacked the attention span for anything longer. That guy would be simple to keep out of her heart.

"I just don't get why you have to be with so many girls."

"I don't get why you refuse to have sex with me. You can't think that I'm only seeing you because I like a challenge and once you sleep with me, I'll dump you."

Scarlett didn't say anything. She was trying to figure out a way to lead the conversation onto less dangerous ground.

"You do think that, don't you?"

"I don't like that you've been with so many girls."

"So because of things that I've done over the last ten years, I have become unacceptable to you."

"It's a lot of girls," Scarlett repeated.

She hadn't worked out a way out of this conversation. She'd been an idiot because she thought she was going to play with Jax. Things had taken a too serious turn.

"Do you think that's fair that you judge me for my past?"

"Doesn't your past make you into the person that you are today?"

"And what's wrong with me?" Jax asked with an edge to his voice.

"Nothing."

"I've just been with too many women to ever be with you."

"Jax, what is your point?"

"Why are you even with me?"

"I enjoy your company."

"OK. I'm a charming guy. I get that. You are an adult. You know that if you see a man for any length of time, the relationship is going to lead to sex. That's the normal progress. If we are never going to get there, why are you even seeing me?"

This conversation had spiraled down into disaster.


	252. Chapter 252

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 252 Miracle Worker**

"

Bucky knew the precise moment he came out of his coma. A beautiful Swedish nurse named Johanna was giving him the most amazing sponge bath. When he opened his eyes, he thought he was in heaven because he'd always had a fantasy that a hot blonde nurse was giving him a sponge bath. His fantasy got more interesting in physical ways than the sponge bath of reality, but it was still damned enjoyable especially for a guy who had been locked up for almost twenty years.

When he'd called Clay to tell him the good news that he'd had a miraculous recovery, Clay had been so choked up with emotion he couldn't speak. Finally, he told him that he wanted him to stay with him and Gemma at their house.

He'd kind of wanted to stay at the clubhouse, but his status as a SOA member was uncertain since his charter was gone. He would have to get voted in by another charter. He had 90 days to do it or he would have to surrender his cut until he get patched in by another charter.

It didn't matter. He could still party at the clubhouse and bang crow-eaters. That's all that mattered. Staying with Clay would be fun. He knew Clay was looking forward to it.


	253. Chapter 253

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 253 What Happened?**

"

Jax hadn't planned out how that conversation with Scarlett was going to go or it wouldn't have gone that way. Stupid! He meant everything he said, but it should have been said at a different time when he could kiss her a bit and help put her in the mood for the conversation.

He looked at her, but she was wearing sunglasses and her face was expressionless. That wasn't a good sign. She just sat there not saying a word.

Oh, fuck! This was a disaster. At least when he was with Tara, she would yell at him when he made her mad or cry when he hurt her feelings. Scarlett just sat there. He couldn't figure out what was going on in her head.

In his world, sleeping with a lot of girls was something that was good. He got that it might be offensive to a certain type of girl and Scarlett was that type. This wasn't something he could change. It was part of his identity and if Scarlett couldn't get past it, they shouldn't be together.

Damn, he'd tried the conversation in a different way and the bottom line stayed the same; if Scarlett couldn't get over his past, they were done. He thought she was falling in love with him. Maybe he had gotten that wrong.

The silence between them just got longer and more uncomfortable. He didn't need Scarlett to make any decisions now. He just wanted her to think it through a bit.

They pulled into the motel parking lot and Jax parked Scarlett's car.

"Maybe you're right, Jax," she said softly as she got out of the car. "Maybe we shouldn't see each other anymore."

She closed the car door and walked to her motel room without a backward glance.

Jax shook his head and wondered what the hell had just happened.

"

Future Chapters: Bucky gets out of the hospital and Scarlett considers her position. The next chapter begins on Thursday.


	254. Chapter 254

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 254 Swept Away**

"

Clay was picking Bucky up from the hospital. He couldn't believe Bucky had cheated death again. He thought for sure that he was going to finally be rid of him.

"There's this hot Swedish nurse who was giving me a sponge bath when I woke up. That girl could wake the dead," Bucky said, snickering.

"Better than Viagra," Clay said.

"Yeah, I got to get me some of that stuff for partying in the clubhouse."

Clay needed to make sure that didn't happen. He couldn't afford for Bucky to get drunk and start to run his mouth. Bucky needed to die, but it couldn't get traced to him.

An elderly hospital volunteer gave Bucky a wheelchair ride out of the hospital. It was standard policy. It didn't matter if you could walk on your own or not, you got wheeled out either on a gurney because you were dead or a wheelchair because by some miracle St. Thomas didn't kill you and you were still alive.

Clay followed along carrying the crutches Bucky would need. He broke his leg and his arm, but he'd been lucky. The break in his leg wasn't bad and he was in a walking cast already. The break to his left arm was also minor and wouldn't interfere with his use of crutches. He'd faced down injuries that would have killed most people.

Clay left Bucky standing at the curb with crutches while he got Gemma's car. He'd noticed a street sweeper driving erratically down the street. If only that street sweeper could drive erratically down the street when Bucky was walking to the car and hit him. A hit from a street sweeper in Bucky's current condition would have to be fatal.

The street sweeper turned down the street and continued to move erratically lurching from side to side that was a strange movement for such a big piece of machinery. Clay watched Bucky begin to step off the curb. That was the moment when Clay realized that in addition to not being very smart, Bucky also appeared to be hard of hearing or he would have kept his eye on the street sweeper when he stepped off the curb.

Clay decided that he was going to help Bucky with his crutches. If he timed it just right, maybe he could shove Bucky into the path of the street sweeper. He parked the car and signaled to Bucky to stay.

Clay crossed the street and went to Bucky.

"Don't want you to have another accident," Clay said with a toothy smile.

"What?"

"Be careful," Clay said loudly.

"Thanks, brother."

Bucky began to cross the street, his back to the street sweeper. The huge machine lurched away from Bucky. He took a few steps and the street sweeper took a wild swing close to Bucky. The sweeper operator wrestled with the steering wheel and the brakes.

Clay opened his mouth and warned Bucky of the danger only Bucky didn't hear the warning because Clay only mouthed the words. He would later swear that he yelled a warning to Bucky.

The street sweeper's driver made one last heroic effort to divert the street sweeper away from Bucky before diving from the machine. The machine knocked Bucky down, its huge rotary brushes moving over Bucky.

David Hale had been at the hospital visiting an injured officer. He leapt into action climbing up into the driver's seat of the still moving street sweeper. He braked hard, but the brakes weren't working. The vehicle wouldn't steer. Finally, he turned the vehicle off ending the vehicle's rampage.

He quickly called in a report to dispatch.

"I'll do first aid," Hale said to Clay. "Go get ER staff to take care of these two."

Bucky was lying in the gutter where the machine had swept him. The street sweeper driver was sitting in the grass, a dazed look on his face.

"That machine was possessed. I don't know what the hell got into it," the sweeper's driver mumbled.

Clay set off for the hospital at a trot. There was no way Bucky could have survived being run over by the huge street sweeper's brushes, but, for luck, he chanted inside his head "Die Bucky Die."

Hale quickly assessed Bucky. He was breathing and didn't have any major bleeding visible. He could have internal injuries, so he kept him immobile and waited for hospital staff to take him away and police staff to block off the street so they could begin the long tedious job of investigating the accident.

Just as Bucky was being loaded on the gurney for a return trip to the ER, he looked up at Clay.

"Johanna. Sponge bath," he whispered. His face was bloody from the street sweeper's brushes.

His eyes fluttered closed. Clay was sure that he must be dead this time.


	255. Chapter 255

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 254 Fatherly Advice**

"

Scarlett felt like she'd banged her head into a wall and she was in that brief split second in time before the body could figure out how it was supposed to feel. Feeling numb wasn't so bad. If this was heartbreak, she could handle it. Before she could think much more about how easy it was to handle heartbreak, the pain rushed in and filled her to the brim with grief.

When her mother was murdered, she hadn't felt anything for hours. She was too busy being afraid and running for her life. Once she'd been alone that night, the pain rushed in and she'd cried all night.

This felt familiar to the pain she felt at losing her mother. It wasn't until she thought about never seeing Jax again did she realize that she'd become attached to him. Even in her thoughts she couldn't be honest with herself and name her feelings. Son of a bitch. She was falling in love with him.

She couldn't get advice from Tara. They were friends and Jax wasn't part of that friendship. She was careful to not cause Tara pain over Jax, so she couldn't get advice from her. Ten years had passed. Any advice she could get from Tara might not mean much now anyway. Donna might be able to help her, but she didn't know her well enough.

There was nothing to do but call her father. She would have to admit that she had accidentally fallen in love with Jax. Despite his encouragement that it was OK to have feelings, it wasn't OK with her. She didn't want to be in love with Jax. Maybe he could tell her how to kill her feelings for him.

"What's wrong?" her father Decker asked her.

"That obvious from me just saying 'hi'?"

"I know you well," her father said.

She explained to her father about her conversation with Jax.

"First, you need to buy yourself some time while you think this through. Send him a text and say you're sorry, but you got overwhelmed with the conversation and you got scared. Then tell him you want to talk either Thursday or Friday. This will give you some space to figure things out and by texting him now, it will show him that you want to work things out."

"OK, then what?"

"You think. Call me tomorrow after you've had some time and we'll figure it out from there. Scarlett, you need to figure out what you want from Jax, how you're going to get it and what you're willing to do in return. I can't condemn him for sleeping with pretty much any girl that's crossed his path, but he'd right. You can't keep holding that against him. Why does it really bother you so much?"

Scarlett followed her father's advice and texted Jax. He had replied that they could talk Thursday night maybe go get dinner. She quickly agreed. It seemed like everything was going to be OK. Maybe she'd overreacted.

She thought about Jax most of Wednesday. It didn't seem to get her anywhere. Thursday, she had another conversation with her father and while she was beginning to think more clearly, it came with a price. Her life would never be the same again after meeting Jax Teller.

"

 **Upcoming chapters:**

 _ **Good new and bad news for Louise's would be killer. Jax and Scarlett try to figure out their relationship. Church gets into club details. Jax finds Scarlett with another man in bed.**_


	256. Chapter 256

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 256 New Neighbor**

"

Today was going to be the day when she got to splatter movie kill Louise. All the preparations had been made. She'd restocked her kill kit—duct tape, zip ties, rag to wipe prints, a couple of knives, some hand sanitizer, a bottle of bleach and a ligature.

The ligature was the addition to her kit. She'd watched some _Forensic Files_ on TV and been inspired. She could choke out Louise and bring her back to life. If she did it right, she could spend hours playing with Louise. She wasn't sure if she preferred a slow agonizing death or a violent blood splattered slicing death Something that was a nice combination—some stabbing and some strangling.

Poor pretty hard working Louise. What had she done to deserve such a painful and horrible end? She didn't have to do anything. Life was a fucked up mess. Sometimes people just had to be murdered. Such was the random nature of life.

Her plan went to hell yet again! It seemed like fate was taunting her. How many times had Louise managed to escape death? Four times? Five? All she knew was it was too many damned times. Once again, Louise's work schedule had changed. Son of a bitch!

Sometimes out of bad, something good can happen. She couldn't splatter Louise's insides on the outside tonight, so she decided to go to the residents' center and exercise a little. Several small apartment buildings and condos shared common amenities including a pool, spa and a clubhouse consisting of a business center, gym/fitness area and several meeting/social event rooms.

Who should turn up at the residents' center? Jax's blonde whore that's who! Jacob Hale was showing her around. She hid so the blonde whore didn't see her. It was more fun to spy on her that way.

Her heart almost burst from her chest with happiness. She overheard the two of them talking. He was showing her around the place because he was going to rent his condo to her.

Oh my God! Oh my God! The blonde whore was going to be her neightbor! She had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing.


	257. Chapter 257

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 257 Relationship Terms**

"

Jax took her to dinner at the same steak restaurant that she had taken him to the night she passed out in her motel room. Over steaks, she told him that she was going to lease Jacob Hale's condo. He was moving out next week. Before she moved in, he was going to paint the condo and get it cleaned.

Part of the deal that made the condo so attractive to her was that she was leasing it furnished. He was taking all his personal belongings and leaving all the furniture except his bed. There was an upstairs bedroom that he used as an office. When Scarlett was able to walk and climb stairs more easily, she was going to switch the furniture so her bedroom would be upstairs. It had a large sliding glass door in the bedroom with a great view of the artificial lake and a balcony.

Jax knew where the condo was located along the path where they were going to walk tonight. That was another thing about Charming, he knew where everyone lived or if he didn't, he could find out in a few minutes. He agreed it was perfect. The condos were gated giving Scarlett some added security and it was only a few minutes from his house.

The conversation was light and casual. Scarlett hoped that maybe they could move on like Wednesday's car ambush conversation had never happened. Deep down inside, she didn't think she would be that lucky, but at least Jax seemed like he was in a good mood.

Her father had helped her see that Jax wasn't being unreasonable. He was just being more honest than most men. Decker also told Scarlett to be honest with Jax. It still didn't feel like honesty was a good strategy. It scared her. She wanted to run away. Honesty just seemed like the wrong thing to do, but her father seemed confident that this approach would work.

They walked around the lake and sat down on one of the numerous benches. Jax sat next to her his leg against hers. He took her hand in his almost as though he were going to hold onto her and make sure they talked this time.

"OK. Talk," he said with a faint smile.

"Are you holding me prisoner?"

"Maybe. At least I know you can't run out on me again."

Scarlett's eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"Did you talk to my father?"

"No, I didn't," Jax said chuckling. "Should I?"

"No, but I may have to call him if I need more advice. My dad agreed with you that if I am truly never going to sleep with you, there isn't any point in staying together. My view was you should spend time with me because you enjoy my company and not because you just want to have sex with me."

"Scars, I told you that I wasn't just with you for sex," Jax said gently.

"I know. It's like me telling you I wouldn't sleep with you because you had sex with too many girls. My dad made me realize that I was just using that as an excuse to not get close to you. It could have been anything. I just needed a reason to keep you at a distant."

"Your father is actually encouraging you to sleep with me?"

"No, he wants me to lose my fear of getting close to someone and then the rest is between us."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I thought you could help me," she said softly.

"How can I help you?"

Jax was still holding tight to Scarlett's hand.

"Can you be patient a little longer?"

She looked at him anxiously.

"Yeah, I can do that."

"There's just one more thing. Getting close scares me a lot. I don't even know why. I just get scared and then I want to run or push you away. It isn't you or anything that you're done. It's me."

"You're afraid to trust me."

She nodded.

"That's true. I can't get closer to you if you're still with other girls. I mean I won't. Either we try to build a relationship between us or we don't want to do that or even try."

Scarlett made herself take a breath. She was so nervous that he would refuse. This was what she really wanted from Jax. She wanted them to be exclusive because that was the only way she would feel secure enough to get close to him.

Jax released her hand and ran his hand over his beard pretending to give the matter some thought.

"I wouldn't have to worry about you with other men?"

"Do you really think I'm that kind of girl?"

"No, I kind of like how private you are. How long before you're ready? Ten years?"

"Not funny."

"How long do you think is reasonable?"

"Two months."

"That's fair enough. What happens after we get closer? Can we see other people then?"

Scarlett looked at Jax shocked and hurt by this suggestion. He had taken her again and she tried to pull it free.

"How can you think that once we get close I would be OK if you went back to sleeping around?"

"Hey, Scarlett," Jax said tightening his grip on her hand. "I was kidding."

"If you're with me, I don't want any other girl putting her hands on you."

"Me too. I only want my hands on you. We'll see where our relationship takes us."  
Jax leaned in and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Jax, I don't give second chances for cheating or hitting. If either happens, we're be done," Scarlett said.

"I get it. Just because I was with a lot of women, doesn't mean I can't be faithful. I think I slept with a lot of girls as my way of not getting close to a girl."

"Do you want to stay over?" she asked almost shyly.

"You would have crushed my heart to dust if you hadn't asked me,"

Scarlett laughed. She had followed her father's advice and she got exactly what she wanted—she and Jax were exclusive. Now that they had that as a foundation to their relationship she thought it would be easier to ease her fears of getting close to him. Their future together as a couple was never brighter.


	258. Chapter 258

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 258 Somebody's Dying**

"

She brushed the tears from her eyes. She'd been so happy before because the blonde whore was moving close and she could spy on her.

Now she was miserable and the blonde whore hadn't even moved in yet. Blonde whore and Jax were walking and then they sat on a bench and they were practically on top of each other they were so close. It took her a couple of minutes to find the binoculars, but it was worth it because she got to stare at Jax's beautiful face.

Those blue eyes of his could darken with concern or anger or light up with mischief or happiness. She would never get tired of staring into his eyes and trying to tell what he was feeling. He had a nice angular jawline that looked so good edged with his blonde beard. Nice high cheekbones too. She wondered if he might be part Indian like her idol and favorite presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.

When Jax smiled at Scarlett, _she_ felt weak in the knees—such was the power of the Jax Teller grin even viewed through binoculars. Why couldn't Jax see her for her inner beauty?

Life was so fucking unfair. Other than Jax, the only thing that could make her feel better was to make life fucking unfair for someone else. She deserved to kill someone. It was her right because life hadn't fair to her.

She grabbed the keys to her pick-up and left. Tonight, she was killing someone. Maybe she'd get lucky and Louise would be working the late shift at the convenience store.

If that didn't work out, there were possibilities everywhere.


	259. Chapter 259

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 259 Hale No!**

"

Jax was surprised by the way things had turned out with Scarlett. They had talked things through and come up with a solution. Could he finally be ready to be an adult? Maybe he wasn't ready to go that far, but he was making progress.

Given her past, it made sense that she needed to trust him in order to get close to him physically. He hadn't felt good seeing her after spending time having sex with a bunch of crow-eaters. He Jax Teller had actually been thinking about scaling back screwing crow-eaters and the government just admitted there were UFOS. Sometimes life was full of surprises.

When he asked her how long it would be before she was ready to sleep with him, he expected her to say at least six months. Two months had come as a welcome surprise. Given her physical condition, it was about as soon as he could expect. It also showed that she wanted to work on feeling closer to him and she'd asked him to be patient a little while longer.

It wouldn't _kill_ him to go a couple of months without sex. He could always handle his own needs. That was as close to celibacy as he was ever going to get. After all, he _was_ still Jax fucking Teller.

Taking a break from girls would make it more special when they were finally together. And damned if he didn't find himself falling in love more with her everyday, but he would not let himself turn into a pussy like Juice when he was in love. For an outlaw biker, Juice had too many teary eyed phone calls to girls. Jax often wondered if Juice were too soft to be an effective member of SAMCRO.

It wasn't until they were on their way back from Scarlett's physio appointment that he realized he needed to make something clear to Scarlett.

"You know how we decided to be exclusive?"

"Uh-huh," she said looking at him suspiciously.

"That means no male friends."

"I think that's too restrictive. I don't mind if you have male friends," Scarlett said with a teasing smile.

"You know what I mean."

"I don't have any male friends. Elliot is my landlord and now so is Jacob Hale."

"I wasn't thinking of Oswald. Hale. David Hale. I was thinking of your movie buddy."

"My movie buddy? Really Jax we watched a movie together twice."

"Hale would like it to be more. Stay clear of him."

Scarlett frowned.

"I really don't like being told what to do."

"Do I have to remind you that we only agreed to this arrangement last night? Would you rather see Hale and let me have sex with whatever girl crosses my path?"

"Hale isn't interested in me like that."

"Scars, every guy that likes girls is interested in you that way."

"OK. You're a guy and you probably know more about how men think. OK. I will put distance between myself and Hale."

"What does that mean?"

"I won't see him anymore."

Jax didn't tell her that Hale had already told him man to man that he was going to get Scarlett for himself. He didn't consider David Hale competition for him, but he didn't want his trying to take advantage of Scarlett. She was a little naïve.

He also didn't want Scarlett talking and sharing herself even on a friends level with another man. He really wanted her all to himself.

"I won't see him anymore either," Jax said with a grin.

"Silly," she said.

He leaned over and kissed her at the stoplight.

"I feel really bad, but I don't think I'm going to be able to see you tonight. I have church—that's what we call our weekly meetings—most of our chapters hold them on Friday nights. We have a lot to discuss and it's going to go long.

"Tomorrow, we've got more MC stuff that will go long. I'll make it up to you on Sunday. How about we spend the day and night together?"

"You are such a smooth talker. OK. I'll juggle all my other men and give you all of Sunday."

"Sorry I have to leave you alone so much."

"I'm used to being alone. I can amuse myself. Maybe I'll call Tara and see if she wants to do something. I can also spend time working on my store. I've got to get the place up and running so I can start pushing money through the place."

"You need to explain how money laundering works."

"We could do that on Sunday. It would give me something exciting to look forward to."

"You are a sick and twisted woman, Scarlett."

"I've thought of a great way to make it more interesting. I can draw helpful visual aids on your body when I explain money laundering."

"How about you draw on you? You would really have my attention then."

"Sorry, I can't bend well enough for that."

They grabbed burgers and fries before Jax headed over to the clubhouse for Church. He couldn't shake a feeling of guilt for leaving Scarlett alone so much, but she didn't seem to mind.

"

 _ **Jax has let Scarlett know he isn't going to be around much, so the coast is clear. Could she really cheat on him?**_


	260. Chapter 260

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 260 Handle Weight**

"

Esai Alvarez was the middle son of Marcus Alvarez. He was determined to prove that he might be the middle son, but he was the son who should carry on the legacy of the Mayans. His grandfather was one of the six original members when the MC was founded in El Paso in 1971.

His father had moved to Northern Cali to start and run his own Mayan charter. Esai took a little different route by creating Calaveras Lodi frequently known as CL with his best friend from high school Hector Salazar.

CL had been successful doing a big trade in illegal weed. Fools thought legalizing weed would dry up the market for illegal weed. Instead, legalizing pot was a huge boon to illegal weed sales due to the state of California's greed.

The state could pretend all it wanted that pot was legalized because it was some sort of morally right thing to do because pot was not only harmless; it was good for you. It was good for the state because it was all about money. The state needed to find more money to fund it's never ending hunger for money to waste. It slapped pot with hefty taxes just like it had alcohol, cigarettes and gas. That was the true reason for legalization.

Now that his MC was getting bigger and gaining respect, Esai wanted the Mayans to patch him over. He had too much pride to ask his father. He would earn the patch over by helping his father.

He spent weeks coming up with the perfect plan to earn his patch over; he was going to wipe out SAMCRO and its Irish gun supplier. While they were scrambling to figure out what was going on, he and his MC would wipe out any remaining members over the next day or so, hitting them quick before they could strike back.

Once SAMCRO and its Irish gun suppliers were dead, the Mayans would be able to take up an offer to sell guns for a South American supplier. He and the CL would turn over the weed sales to his father's Mayans and he and what he hoped would be his newly patched over Mayans Lodi charter would run the gun portion of the business. They would replace SAMCRO as the area's new weapons dealers.

His father questioned whether or not he would be able to handle that weight, but he had assured him that he and his crew were up to the challenge. His father cautioned him that the consequences for failure could be extreme, but he wasn't worried. He knew what he was doing.

He'd just gotten the intel he needed. The Sons were meeting with their Irish supplier on Sunday. All of the Sons at the meeting and the Irish supplier would be killed. There was money that the Sons were handing to the Irish for security for future weapons purchases. With luck they would be able to snatch that up too as their bonus.

After that, they would kill any remaining Sons and he and his CLs would become Mayans.


	261. Chapter 261

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 261 Surprised Scarlett**

"

Jax was a few minutes late to the meeting. Clay shot him a dirty look as he took his position at the table on the left of Clay. Tig was already in his position on Clay's right.

Most of the meeting was taken up with discussions of the sale of the land parcel. It was closing in a couple of days. That would give the club a cushion of money to use for emergencies and get them through lean times.

Everyone applauded Jax for coming up with the idea to rent houses instead of building warehouses. Bobby found a house in the country and the gun assembly and warehouse operations were up and running.

Scarlett's security precautions opened Jax's eyes. Anyone following one of the Sons could eventually find out about the warehouse. Under Jax's new protocols, they never went to the warehouse on bikes in cuts. They always drove in cars with no identifying bumper stickers on the cars.

Jax couldn't believe that they used to ride as a club to the warehouse. How much more obvious could they make it? Clay and his damned dummy companies wouldn't protect the club if someone had some pictures of the MC paying a visit to the warehouse.

Clay grumbled about the new security because they had had to get a couple of cars to use as transport to and from the warehouse, but Jax always pointed out that it was a small price to pay to stay under everyone's radar.

"That warehouse is back and better than ever," Bobby said.

The men at the table cheered. Clay was less enthusiastic. He didn't like it when Jax came up with a good idea.

"We are flush for the Irish because we were able to get the warehouse back up and running so quickly," Bobby said.

"Wonder why we never thought of it before?" Opie asked.

"Well, we thought about it now thanks to Jax," Clay said sourly.

"Sunday we're meeting with the Irish to give them the money for six months worth of guns. I'm not sure of the time yet. It's going to be Jax, Tig, Chibs and me," Clay said. "When the time is locked down I'll let you know."

The meeting continued discussing some of the smallest topics in more detail than anyone could possible care about. It just went on and on. Jax would much rather have spent the time getting to know Scarlett.

It was midnight when the meeting finally wound down. He drank a beer at the clubhouse to be social, but in keeping with their agreement, Jax didn't even flirt with a single crow-eater. When he was married to Wendy, he hadn't considered flirting as out of bounds, but he knew Scarlett would have a different view point.

After downing his beer, he went back to his quiet empty house. For a couple of minutes, he thought about calling Scarlett and spending the night in her bed.

He stopped himself. He was not going to be like that pussy Juice who calls around from girl to girl to find one who will let him sleep with her.

He showered, got into bed and began reading _Brown's Requiem_ by James Ellroy. That writer wrote the book the movie _LA Confidential_ was based on. He wanted to start small. _LA Confidential_ was over 500 pages, _Brown's Requiem_ was half the size. He was just checking out this writer and to see why Scarlett liked reading him. Maybe he and Scarlett could discuss books too.

He and the guys were working on cars and bikes in the garage when they learned the meeting with Michael McKeavey was off. The Irish got very mysterious and didn't give a reason. That meant, that as soon as he changed the oil in the bike he was working on, he was free.

Jax decided to go home and shower off the work grease before dropping in on Scarlett. Maybe dinner, a little walking and a lot of time making out. Perfect evening and soon it would be even better when Scar's body got stronger, they grew emotionally closer and finally made love.

Jax drove into the motel's parking lot and immediately noticed a silver Honda. He'd spent so much time at the motel, he knew the cars that parked there. A man with curly brown hair got out of the car. Scarlett flung open her motel room door and the man disappeared inside with her.

What the hell was going on? Why would some guy go to Scarlett's room? Probably just dropping something off. He circled the block. The car was still there. There must be some reason for a guy to be in Scarlett's motel room. Something that made sense.

He did another lap. She told him she hadn't been with a man in four years. He was the first man in four years whose touch didn't make her skin crawl. She needed him to be exclusive with her before she could feel close enough to have sex with him.

What the hell could she and that guy be doing? Anything work related could have been done at her home décor business. There was no fucking good reason for a man to be in her motel room alone. Especially for ten fucking minutes.

What if she had been playing him? What if everything she'd told him were lies? He could wait until the guy left and then casually ask her about him. She'd try to lie her way out. He wasn't going to put up with that. He wanted her to know that he'd caught her.

She'd lied to him. Played him. All along she was seeing some other guy. Son of a bitch. No one was playing Jax Teller for a fool. It wasn't his style to wait for the guy to leave. The way to the truth was getting inside her motel room.

He drove one last loop around the block, his anger building. He parked his bike and pounded on her door.

"Scarlett, I know you're in there."

The curly brown haired man opened the door. Jax pushed past him to get inside. Scarlett was lying face down on her bed. She was wearing the same shorts she'd had on the day they met. The waistband was loosened and pulled down low, just below the small of the back. The back of her top was also pulled up all the way to the bottom of her bra

The man sat down on the bed next to Scarlett. Scarlett was really in bed with this guy.

"Jax what are you doing here? I thought you were working all day?"

"I'm sure you did."

All the lights in the motel room were off and the curtains were drawn. The bathroom light was on, the door closed so only a small sliver of light lit the room. Romantic.

Jax had enough. No one was playing him for a fool. He couldn't beat Scarlett but he could beat the shit out of her boyfriend. He grabbed the guy off the bed and threw him against the wall so hard it rattled a nearby picture. He punched him hard.

"What are you doing?" Scarlett screamed. She was still motionless on the bed.

The man gasped, the punch knocked the wind out of him. Jax punched him again.

"Stop it! He was giving me an acupuncture treatment."

"That's . . ." the man gasped, "all."

Jax released his hold on the man who crumpled to the ground and looked at Scarlett. He hadn't seen any needles when he came in. Now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, he could see small thin needles barely thicker than a hair with pale blue tips in her back.

Jax's jaw clenched. He grabbed the guy and put him on his feet.

"It will just take a couple of seconds to get them out."

He reached into his pocket for a small bottle. As he removed each needle, he gently rubbed the skin before putting the needle in the bottle. Scarlett pulled up her shorts and pulled her shirt down as she slowly got off the bed.

"Sorry, bro," Jax said.

"It's OK," the man said. He knew Jax Teller by reputation and he just wanted out of there before he punched him again. "Do you want to try again?"

"I'll call you next week," she said. "Thanks and sorry. Are you OK?"

He looked at Jax and nodded before quickly leaving.

"What the hell was that all about?" Scarlett demanded.

"I saw a guy go into your room and stay."

"You have embarrassed me. You have humiliated me. I told you I haven't been with a guy in four years. Obviously you don't trust me."

Scarlett wrapped her arms around her.

"Let me explain."

"Get out now," she raised her voice. "I have nothing to say to you."

Her face was flushed with anger.

"Fine," Jax said, his voice angry. "You just want to make this as hard as possible."

"I never want to see you again."

There wasn't any point in trying to talk to her when she was in that state of mind. Better wait until she cooled down and saw that she wasn't blameless in this.

Jax left.


	262. Chapter 262

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 262** _ **Scrambled Plans**_

"

Esai tapped his fingers on the battered wooden table. His careful plans might not ever be carried out. Something was wrong with the Irish. One of them was missing. The entire gun deal could be in danger of collapsing.

No. The deal would go through. The Irish would not go back to Ireland empty handed. They would have to figure something out. The meeting with the Sons was going to take place. The time and place may change, but that meeting would go forward and when it did, he and his MC would kill the Irish and all the Sons at the meeting. In a few days, SAMCRO was going to be wiped out and he would be president of the new Mayans Lodi chapter.

Failure could mean . . . Well, he wasn't going to think about that. He would not fail. He couldn't fail. His MC and his father were depending on him. SAMCRO was going to be nothing more than history in a few days.

 **Next** _ **: An unexpected phone call and surprising advice**_


	263. Chapter 263

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 263** _ **Hate Him**_

"

Elliot Oswald had been trying to do something nice for Scarlett since she helped rescue Tristen from being gang raped by some carnival workers. Scarlett repeatedly told him she didn't need any thanks and that she was grateful she had been able to help save the little girl.

He had offered her various things from free rent to meal delivery services. Saturday, he suggested acupuncture treatments. Scott his IT guy had come to Charming and opened his own acupuncture clinic. Turned out there wasn't much of a market for acupuncture in Charming. He still performed acupuncture by appointment and had helped Tristen with her allergies.

Elliot offered her acupuncture treatments. He told her that the treatments might not fix her back overnight, but they could help her heal faster. The idea of getting better faster appealed to her and she'd always had an interest in acupuncture, so she agreed to try a few treatments.

Scott had come by Scarlett's motel room. He had wiped her spine and neck area with alcohol and taken a bundle of needles stuck to a roll of paper. Each needle was in its own insertion tube. He tapped one end pushing the needle through the tube and into Scarlett's skin. The needles were tipped with blue so the acupuncturist could see them for removal. The needles were single use and disposable. Since the increase in needle borne illnesses patients were apprehensive about reusable needles.

Scarlett didn't feel the needles going in or even feel the delicate twist he gave them. He'd shut the lights off to help her relax and perched on the edge of the bed. Scarlett shut her eyes and tried to figure out if they made her feel better.

Jax pounding at her motel room door was a surprise. He just seemed crazy when he found Scott in her room. Before she could even say something to him, Jax grabbed Scott threw him against the wall and started punching him. It scared and embarrassed her.

When she finally got through to him that he was giving her an acupuncture treatment, he quit punching Scott. Scott quickly removed the needles still taking care to rub where each needle was inserted. That felt good. Scott quickly left and Scarlett told him she'd call him. She wanted to give acupuncture a fair trial.

She had opened her heart to Jax. Told him things she'd never told anyone. She was trying to build a relationship with him. Despite her fear, she was trying to get closer to him.

He'd crushed it all by acting like a jealous lunatic. Obviously he didn't believe what she'd told him or he wouldn't have assumed she was having sex with a guy in her room. How could he even think that?

Her feelings were at war. She hated him and she was also broken hearted. When she'd blurted out that she never wanted to see him again, she meant every word of it. Her life could go along perfectly fine if she never saw Jax Teller again.

No, her life would be even better without him in her life. She could focus better on destroying Clay, getting him locked up for the rest of his life and destroying SAMCRO. This was a good thing. Her feelings for Jax were making her weak. Now she would be stronger, smarter and she would be merciless when she brought SAMCRO, Clay Morrow and Jax Teller down.

If only she could convince her heart that never seeing Jax Teller again was a good thing. She hated him and they were done.

In just a few minutes, she would quit crying and everything would be better. Jax fucking Teller could rot in hell.


	264. Chapter 264

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 264** _ **Fear Him**_

"

Kohn was relentless. He would just show up. She'd find him roaming the halls of the hospital, walking past her house or following her around at the supermarket. He didn't say anything to her. He would just look at her, give her a little smile and leave.

Tonight it had gotten worse. She'd walked out to her car after work. He was leaning against it. Her heart pounded and she felt weak with terror.

"One day Tara, you'll realize I'm the perfect guy for you."

There was a wild look in his eyes and his grooming was starting to slip. His long-sleeved white shirt was half-tucked into his pants, his tie was askew and his face unshaven. He was unraveling. That made him even more dangerous.

"Why don't you go back to Chicago while I think about that?"

He laughed harshly.

"Teller's days are numbered. Indictments could come down soon. My offer is still open. I could make the investigation go away if you leave Charming and come away with me."

"The problem is you assume that I give a damn about what happens to Jax. I don't. Lock him up. I don't care."

"You were always a terrible liar like when you told me you weren't pregnant."

Tara shook her head.

"I wasn't pregnant."

Tara looked around to see if help was nearby if things got physical. She always carried the slim canister of pepper spray that Scarlett had given her. She flipped the safety off, prepared to use it if things escalated.

"I was never pregnant."

"I saw the pregnancy test."

"I've told you many times that it wasn't mine. It was my neighbor's."

"Sure, Tara. That makes a lot of sense," Kohn said with thick sarcasm. "You've never been loved the way you should be by a man like me. You just need a little time to adjust."

He moved away from her car and Tara climbed inside. She was shaking so hard, it took her several tries to get her key in the ignition.

She decided to grab some tacos to bring home for dinner. Whenever she was sick or upset, Mexican food gave her comfort.

There wasn't much that the law could do with Kohn. Restraining orders were useless on the insane. She needed to come up with a plan. She'd hoped that she could wait him out, but he was just too far gone.

When he'd been violent with her in Chicago, she'd tried to get the ATF to help. He was a federal agent who carried a gun. Surely, that would raise flags, but she'd been lectured about wasting their time and shooed away. She doubted they would be anymore helpful now.

She could get a temporary restraining order, but that was a waste of time. Restraining orders might stop the sane, but Kohn was teetering on the brink of insanity.

It was only a question of who he would kill first. Would he kill Scarlett to hurt Jax? Would he kill Jax to hurt her? Would he just kill her?

Tara finished her tacos and decided she had to do something. She had hoped to avoid it, but calling Jax was the only solution.

"Jax, it's Tara."

"Did Scarlett call you?"

"No. I need to see you. It's not personal. I'm not trying to get you back. This is about the ATF."

There was a long pause.

"OK. I'm on my way."

"Thanks."

Tara turned on the porch light and noticed that Kohn was sitting in his car outside her house.


	265. Chapter 265

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 265** _ **Lucky Him**_

"

Bucky thought he'd died and gone to Heaven. The beautiful Johanna was leaning over giving him a view of her plump enticing breasts when he woke up again. She was a miracle worker.

"How are you feeling?" she asked him with a smile.

"Better when you're my nurse," he said, winking at her.

She laughed.

"I swear I never heard of someone leaving the hospital and ending up back here without even making it home first."

"My nickname is Lucky."

She laughed.

"Seeing how I came back from the dead twice, do you think I could have another sponge bath? I feel really grimy."

"Well, I'm really only supposed to give one sponge bath to a customer, but I think I can make a secret exception."

Bucky relaxed and enjoyed his sponge bath. Being in the hospital wasn't so bad. He wondered when Clay was going to come by to see him.


	266. Chapter 266

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 266** _ **Tell Him**_

"

Tara paced the floor waiting for Jax. She didn't want to have this conversation with him, but it was important to warn him about Kohn. She owed him that.

Jax roared up on his motorcycle. When Tara let him into the house, she immediately noticed that something was different. There was a little less Jax Teller swagger. He was more subdued like something was weighing heavily on his mind. Tara hated to add to his load, but it had to be done.

"You want something to drink?"

He shook his head.

"No."

"Jax, what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Can you at least sit down for a minute?"

He sat down on the worn brown couch. Tara sat next to him.

"OK, why am I here?"

"A few months before I left Chicago, I was dating this ATF agent named Josh Kohn. He seemed normal, but he wasn't. In the course of dating him, I mentioned that I'd dated a biker. He slowly got me to tell him about you. I didn't tell him anything about SAMCRO or anything that they did. I swear, Jax, I never said a word."

"There wasn't anything for you to tell him."

Tara nodded her head quickly.

"Exactly, but he got crazy. As my relationship with him went down hill he got it in his head that it was your fault. It doesn't make sense, but the insane are insane so they don't make sense. He got violent and I ended things with him.

"He stalked me. The police and the ATF weren't helpful. They protect their own. I felt my only choice was to leave and there was a job opening here. It seemed like it was my destiny. When I left Chicago, I thought that was the last I'd see of him."

"You think this is the agent investigating SAMCRO?"

She nodded her head staring at her chewed up fingernails. She was a doctor, she knew how unsanitary it was, but in times of high stress she just couldn't control herself.

"He told me that if I get back with him, he'll make everything against SAMCRO go away. Tonight when I left work, he told me that indictments could come down soon against SAMCRO."

"Unless you went away with him," Jax said.

"Yeah."

Jax's jaw clenched and his face was flushed with anger.

"It's bullshit. He's playing you. If the ATF had a case against SAMCRO and we both know that's impossible because SAMCRO is just a club of Harley enthusiasts, they wouldn't drop a case because an ATF agent gets back together with his girlfriend."

"You really believe that?"

"Yeah and it doesn't make sense that the ATF agent investigating SAMCRO is pulled from the Chicago office for this investigation. There are ATF agents all over the country. We'll dig into this guy and find out what's really going on, but I think it's just a desperate move to hold on to you."

"That's not all. He believes that I came back to Charming to be with you. I told him that wasn't true and you had a girlfriend named Scarlett. I wanted him to believe that there was no chance we could be together. That was another of his obsessions. He thought he needed to rescue me from you. He's got this crazy hatred of you. He's mentioned hurting Scarlett to get to you. He could hurt her, or you or me."

"You really think he's capable of hurting her to get to me?"

Tara nodded.

"I'm afraid so. He's got this pathological hatred of you."

"That son of a bitch better never lay a hand on either of you."

There was still something off with Jax. He was always brimming with confidence and swagger. Whatever was wrong with Jax had to do with Scarlett. A few weeks ago, she would have been delighted. She would have taken that as a sign that she and Jax were going to get together and live happily ever after. Now, she wanted to help fix things.

She was proud of herself for finally moving on from Jax. It had taken her long enough, but she was free from Jax Teller heartbreak. Some of that might be Eric's influence, but part of it was her making the decision to move ahead with her life.

"What happened with you and Scarlett?"

"Really?" Jax said, cocking an eyebrow at Tara.

"I honestly want to help. She and I are really friends. You know I'll never say anything."

Jax shook his head before jumping to his feet.

"She told me she never wants to see me again. It's all her fault."

"When a girl says she never wants to see you again, what she really means is that she's mad at you and needs some time to cool down. Now, what did she do?"

Jax paced back and forth anger seemed to consume him.

"We had this arrangement where we don't see other people."

"OK. Keep going," Tara said encouragingly.

"I was supposed to work all day, but there was a change in plans. I decided I'd drop by and see Scarlett. I saw a guy go into her motel room. I circled the block a couple of time but his car was still there. I knocked on her door. This guy let's me in."

"This doesn't sound like Scarlett, Jax. For all the jokes, she isn't a slut. I don't think she would cheat on you. It's not in her DNA."

"I go into her room and she's lying half undressed on her bed. He sits down on the bed near her. She doesn't tell me who he is or anything. Her shorts are pulled low on her back and her top is pushed up. I lost it. I grabbed the guy, slammed him against the wall and punched him. She starts yelling at me that he's giving her an acupuncture treatment. It was dark in her room. I didn't see the needles."

"Where does the part about it being all her fault come in?"

"She should have told me who he was when I walked into her room."

"I'm guessing if you had given her a few more seconds, she would have told you. This isn't even a little her fault. It's all your fault."

"See? I knew you would take her side. She should have told me immediately who he was."

"You should have trusted her. Do you want to be right or do you want to make things right with her?"

"I want to make things right with her."

"Give her a couple of hours and then go talk to her. Accept the blame."

"Maybe a couple of days."

"Why a couple of days? So you can get drunk at the clubhouse and bang crow-eaters? That's the shit you used to pull on me. You would break up with me, get drunk and screw around. You never cheated because you always broke up with me before you cheated. When I was eighteen, I put up with that shit. Now I'd be done with you the first time you pulled that."

"I didn't break up with you because I wanted to cheat."

"Doesn't matter. You go to the clubhouse, get drunk and have an orgy with crow-eaters. How is that going to fix things between you and Scarlett?"

"She said she doesn't want to see me again."

Tara got to her feet and slapped Jax on the arm.

"If you are done with her, go screw your brains out, but if you want her back, act like an adult for a change. Give her a couple of hours, go to her and apologize. If you want to destroy your relationship, bang your brains out and then go to her in a couple of days. She won't forgive you. You need to build trust with her."

"So, what you're going to tell her if I go hook up with some crow-eaters?"

"I don't know. Just be a better person. Don't use this as an excuse to cheat. You do that and whenever you two have problems, she'll think that you'll be out cheating on her. It will eat away at your relationship until it's gone. Treat her better than you did me. Time to grow up and not run to sex, drugs and alcohol when relationships get hard."

Jax shook his head with disgust.

"I should have known that you would take her side."

"I'm trying to help you save your relationship."

"Thanks a lot, Tara," Jax said as he pulled on his leather gloves. "I'll let you know what I find out about Kohn. I appreciate you letting me know about him."

Tara followed him out on the porch.

"Jax at least give it 24 hours before you start the debauchery."

"Never thought you would take her side over mine. Is that Kohn in the white car?"

"Yes."

Jax walked past his bike and over to the car Kohn was sitting in and pulled him out through the rolled down window.


	267. Chapter 267

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 267** _ **Hurt Him**_

"

Jax couldn't believe that Tara would take Scarlett's side over his. Hell, maybe the two of them were really friends. How else could he explain Tara taking Scarlett's side over his? He couldn't possibly be wrong. Some things were just impossible.

When he saw Kohn outside Tara's house, he was just going to go over and say something. Kohn was sitting there with the window down holding one of those little battery powered mini fans in one of his hands. The guy was such a douche bag. The next thing he knew, he'd grabbed Kohn, pulled him through the window and dropped him to the ground face first.

"That's assault on a federal agent."

"Do you know what extortion means? Yeah, Tara told me."

Kohn got to his feet slowly, his lip was bleeding and his face was scraped and bruised.

"You're going to jail asshole."

Jax laughed like he'd been told the funniest joke in the world.

"You have nothing on SAMCRO. As for your fall, you're a clumsy shithead. No one saw anything."

"I'm going to take you down."

Jax grinned.

"You ever see how an Irish car bomb works?"

The color drained from Kohn's face. He'd seen pictures of bodies blown up by car bombs. There was no doubt in his mind that Jax knew how to rig a car bomb or knew someone who did.

"Get in your little white car and leave Tara and Scarlett the hell alone."

Tara was watching from the porch. Jax could tell Kohn longed to hit him, but he realized Jax would kick his ass.

"I will bring you down."

"If you're the best the ATF has to offer, bring it."

Kohn got back in his car and drove over his little hand held fan that he'd dropped when Jax hauled him through the car window.


	268. Chapter 268

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 268** _ **Forgive Him**_

"

Tara thought over the situation between Jax and Scarlett. She hoped that he would treat Scarlett better than he treated her. It still hurt when she thought about how he would break up with her, cheat and then come back a few days later.

For Scarlett's sake, she hoped she'd gotten through to Jax about working things out with Scarlett and not losing himself in alcohol, drugs and crow-eaters.

She thought for awhile before deciding to call Scarlett and warn her about Kohn.

"I called Jax to come over because I needed to tell him about my crazy psycho ex. I'm pretty sure that he's the ATF agent looking into SAMCRO."

"Didn't you used to live in Chicago? Did he get transferred here?"

"I doubt it. He told me that if I go away with him, he'll drop the cases against Jax and the MC."

"Oh," Scarlett said. "He's playing you."

"That's exactly what Jax said. Kohn hates Jax and would do anything to hurt him. That might include hurting you."

"This sounds familiar."

"Just keep your guard up."

"OK. Why can't you just go to his ATF boss?"

"I tried that when he turned abusive."

"I guess if you really attacked him using the ATF you might just make him crazier. He would have nothing to lose by coming after you."

"You understand perfectly why I'm in such a bind. While I was talking to Jax I noticed that he seemed different. Eventually, I convinced him to tell me what was wrong. He told me about the fight he had with you. He said you told him you never want to see him again."

"I did say that."

"I explained to him that when a girl says that she really means she very angry and she needs a few hours to herself."

"I don't know Tara. I'm furious with him."

"He told me that he noticed a man walking into your room. He didn't leave so Jax investigated."

"He was just giving me an acupuncture treatment. I thought he could see the needles in me. The next thing I know he's throwing the poor guy against the wall and punching him. It was horrible."

"When Jax and I were together I would have been so happy if he'd done that. He was never jealous when we were together. It made me feel like he wasn't jealous because he didn't think anyone else would want me."

"He probably wasn't jealous because he trusted you."

"I never really thought of it that way. I told him that the fight was his fault. I think with a little time, he will see that his behavior was wrong."

"Tara, I'm just so hurt that he would think I would cheat on him that I really don't care if I see him again."

"You have every right to be mad at him and hurt. Jax is a very flawed man. You are perfect. Teach him better."

Scarlett laughed.

"Point taken."

"If he makes you happy and if he gets that he screwed up, maybe you should forgive him."

"Thanks Tara for being a good friend to me and Jax."

"Are you going to forgive him?"

"I don't know. I think it's going to depend on what he says."

"Well, if you need any more words of wisdom, you can always call me."

"Thanks Tara. I'm really glad to have you for a friend

"Me too."

They said their good-byes. Tara was glad that she'd called Scarlett and done her best at getting her to reconcile with Jax. She'd been the kind of friend she would want. The rest was up to them.

The only question was would Jax cheat on Scarlett before he finally got it through his thick head that he was really in the wrong and owed her a big apology?

"

 **Author's Note: This friendship between Scarlett and Tara will be tested over the next couple of weeks. Is it real or is Tara still trying to get Jax back?**


	269. Chapter 269

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 269** _ **Drunk Him**_

 _ **"**_

Getting a little physical with Kohn had provided a welcome diversion from thinking about Scarlett. Now all he could think about was what Tara said to him about postponing the debauchery for at least 24 hours.

Despite 10 years apart, Tara still knew him. Her words even had the power to sting. At times he hadn't treated her as well as she deserved. Part of that had been his lack of maturity and part had been his belief that Tara would never leave him.

Even breaking up with her had been about his lack of maturity. There was truth to what she'd said about his breaking up with her so he could cheat. He was just too young and immature to give up his freedom for a till death do us part relationship.

Tara had also been right when she said he used sex, drugs and alcohol whenever a relationship got hard. It was strange for Tara have become so insightful about their relationship. He guessed the ten years had given her wisdom that she hadn't had as a teen.

He hadn't acquired any wisdom as far as girls were concerned. His failure of a marriage to Wendy had been a monument to that.

When he told Tara that the problem was all Scarlett's fault, he didn't believe it. He was hoping that Tara would agree with him. Instead, she told him the problem was all his fault.

Tara said cheating wasn't in Scarlett's DNA. He felt that. He believed that she would never cheat on him. That's why seeing that man going into her motel room caused such a rage. He was convinced that she'd been playing him. Deep down he didn't really trust her.

He could imagine Scarlett telling him she didn't want to see him again, but he couldn't imagine her cheating on him. That was why he got so furious when he saw the guy in Scarlett's room. He thought she'd been lying and playing him. He hadn't even given her a chance to explain. Shit! He should have trusted her.

Tara asked him how going to the clubhouse, getting drunk and banging crow-eaters would fix his relationship with Scarlett. He could imagine the pain on Scarlett's face if she found out that he'd cheated with crow-eaters.

Scarlett found it hard to trust, but she was working on trusting him. He could blow up all that trust tonight by screwing crow-eaters. Was sex with a bunch of crow-eaters worth risking his relationship with Scarlett over?

No. He would be a fool to risk what he had with Scarlett to bang a couple of crow-waters. That didn't mean he couldn't go the clubhouse and have a beer. After that, he would go home, call Scarlett and dazzle her with words of contrition.


	270. Chapter 270

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 270** _ **Unblocked Cock**_

 _ **"**_

Jax rode his bike to the clubhouse. It was the same every Saturday. Friends of the club both men and women were drinking, playing pool and laughing. Soon the vomiting would begin usually led by Bobby. For now, Jax watched Bobby play pool with Miles while he drank a beer.

He wondered what Scarlett was doing. He never wanted to be as whipped as Juice was when he had a girlfriend, but damned if he didn't miss Scarlett. He looked over the girls that were in the clubhouse. Most of them were pretty enough, but none of them compared to Scarlett.

Time to go home. He'd tested his willpower by having one beer and turning down a half dozen crow-eaters. Sack didn't have to play cock blocker tonight. That flying tackle he made to bring down Ima was already a legend. Jax chuckled at the memory.

He rode through Scarlett's motel's parking lot and didn't see her car. The light was on in the room, but she left the light on when she went out

Next, he rode to the town's other motel. Scarlett's car wasn't there either. Without thinking about it, he found himself riding past Hale's. No Scarlett there either. Suppose she just left town for good?

The lease on her home décor store wouldn't stop her from leaving. After what she did for Oswald's kid, he would never hold her to the lease.

Why should she stay in Charming? There was nothing keeping her in town. She could pack up her car and just leave. She'd been so angry with him and when she said she never wanted to see him again, she might have meant it.

It wouldn't do any good to call her. She might not take his call and it wouldn't help him locate her. He used the motel she was staying at and began to search out from that location looking for her car.

He smiled when he found it parked down a side street less than a block from her motel. She'd hidden her car there. She wanted him to think she was gone.

He thought about giving her a little more time to cool off, but he was a man of action. He wasn't the type to wait. Talking to her would help him gauge if she were still mad. There was also a good chance that he could sweet talk her out of staying mad at him.

Jax returned to her motel and knocked on her door. No answer. He knocked again. Still no answer. He knocked a third time.

"Scarlett, I know you're in your room. I found your car," he called pitching his voice loud enough for her to hear him, but not so loud the entire motel could hear.

She opened the door. She was wearing leggings and a T-shirt, her normal sleeping attire.

"What do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

"No."

He was taken aback by that. He expected that she would at least let him in. Her face was devoid of expression except her eyes. He could see the fury there.

"Are you really so angry that you would throw away everything we had together?"

She blinked and he could see her eyes were brimming with tears.

"After everything I told you, how could you think I was sleeping with another man?"

The pain in her eyes crushed him. It was even worse knowing that his stupid, reckless actions had put it there. He was the source of her hurt.

"Can I come in and talk to you?"

"No."

"How about I give you a little more time? I'll come by tomorrow around eight. I have an out of town business meeting. It should be over by then. At least listen to me. I want to make this right with you."

She just looked at him with those big green eyes filled with pain and tears.

"Wear your vest," she whispered before shutting the door in his face and locking it.

Jax took this as good news. At least she didn't want him to get killed, not that the meeting tomorrow was going to be dangerous. It was going to be a normal run of the mill meeting with the Irish.


	271. Chapter 271

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 271** _ **CL Meeting**_

 _ **"**_

Esai Alavarez dreamed of the day when he could really impress his hard to please dad. When he pulled off the hit on SAMCRO flawlessly, he would be proud of him. He might be the middle son, but he would be the sibling with the power. He was going to be president of the Mayans one day.

How hard could it be to wipe out SAMCRO? It's not like they were cockroaches. Those things were impossible to kill no matter how many times you beat them.

SAMCRO was not cockroach tough. All he needed to do was wait until the arrangements for the Irish meeting were confirmed and then it was a simple little massacre. He and his guys would go in with automatic weapons and take out everyone.

He looked at the five guys in his Calaveras Lodi MC. They were all solid and dependable except Hector Salazar who had a tendency to fuck up at the worst possible time. A good leader knows the capabilities of his soldiers. This was why he assigned Salazar the task of making sure the weapons were loaded with full clips. It was an easy job. It didn't require any intelligence. He should be able to handle that. He would also serve as look out while he and the four others went inside and took care of business.

"Soon, we're going to be patched in Mayans," he promised his crew. "We're going to get some serious respect then. We'll grow the MC and its power."

"Why can't I go inside and kill SAMCRO too?" Salazar whined.

"Because you're the look out," Esai said with forced patience. "Lookouts have to be outside. That's the out part of lookout."

"I really want to shoot a Son."

The other four members of Calaveras Lodi looked at each other. Hector Salazar was always complaining about his assignments. One of these days Alvarez was going to lose it and give him a beat down for his constant complaining.

"There will be plenty of Sons blood to spill. Wiping out the Sons at the Irish meeting is only the first step. After that, we'll pick off the remaining Sons over the next couple of days. You can kill a Son then, Hector."

"Why is it again that we have to do it at the Irish meeting?" Salazar asked.

"It's the plan," Esai said. "There is going to be an exchange. If we're lucky, we'll kill most of the Sons at that meeting and get the cash and weapons that were going to be exchanged."

"Are there any other questions from anyone except Hector?"

The four guys shook their head snickering at the mention of Hector's name. They all knew what Hector didn't—his days as VP were numbered.

Esai and Hector had been high school friends and he'd looked out for little Hector. He let his feelings cloud his judgement when he made him his VP. He would correct that once all the shit with the Sons was over and before they were patched in Mayans.

Esai was pleased with the plan. It was a simple plan, but he found those worked the best. SAMCRO was no match for his crew.

"

"

 _ **A/N: Who thinks it might be a mistake to put a screw up like Hector Salazar in charge of checking the guns?**_


	272. Chapter 272

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 272** _ **Scarlett Premonition**_

"

When she told Jax she never wanted to see him again, she'd meant it. Now that she was calmer, she was afraid that Jax would take her at her word and never see her again.

Tara had relieved her mind when she told her that she'd spoken to Jax and explained that when women say they never want to see a man again, it just means she's angry and needs a couple of hours to cool down. She hoped that Jax would listen to Tara. She didn't want to lose him. If that meant she'd have to swallow her pride and make the first move, she was willing to do it.

When he knocked at her door, she was happy. She wasn't going to let him know that, but she was happy. It wasn't until she saw him that the hurt and anger came flooding back. She was still too angry and hurt to talk to him. Her eyes kept tearing up and she almost lost control of her emotions.

He mentioned coming by to talk after his Sunday night meeting. She had a very bad feeling about that meeting. Someone was going to get shot there. She hoped she was wrong about the shooting, but, if she were right, she prayed that Jax would listen to her and would wear his Kevlar vest.


	273. Chapter 273

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 273** _ **Missing You**_

"

Jennifer Gray couldn't get the San Joa county sheriffs' interested in looking for her daughter. They took all her information, but she knew they wouldn't do shit to find Megan. To them, she was just another junkie that hadn't called her mother in a couple of days. She explained that her daughter had called her at the same time of day every day for the past five years. If she couldn't call she would text her. The two officers exchanged looks and she knew they didn't believe her. She was just another desperate mother lying to get them to look for her kid.

She loved her daughter and her being a junkie didn't diminish her love one bit. One day Megan was going to get clean and have a great life if she could just stay alive long enough.

Her church friends and neighbors passed out flyers at grocery stores, put them on cars and stapled them to poles. She had gotten a disposable phone to use just for tips on Megan. She'd gotten some crank calls who promised information for money, some leads that had turned into nothing and some leads that broke her heart because they had given her hope that her daughter was still alive.

Megan wouldn't be found for another fourteen months when two girls from a middle school class were taking a nature field trip and found her under a pile of dead flowers and vegetation. The sunlight caught the light of a silver chain Megan had received for Christmas one year. The girls moved the brush and debris only to discover Megan's skeletonized remains.

All the counseling the school system provided would never erase that grisly day from those young girls' minds.


	274. Chapter 274

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 274** _ **Meet Finalized**_

"

Clay got Gaalen's call from Ireland late Sunday morning West Coast time. Michael McKeavey had been found beaten to death and left for dead on the Oakland docks. He was the victim of a trade dispute with the Oakland port commissioner.

The meeting would still take place at Haney's Pub at 8 pm with their new contact Cam Hayes. Clay was to ask Hayes his favorite beer. Hayes was to reply that his favorite beer was Bud Lite. Clay was to add that Guinness tasted like piss.

The old fashioned word code made Clay think of all the spy movies he used to watch when he was a kid. He thought they even used codes like that in some of the James Bond movies.

He wasn't a superstitious person, but he had a bad feeling about this meeting. Maybe it was just McKeavey's murder that had him on edge.

This wouldn't be the first meeting at Haney's. He was comfortable using it as a meeting place. He wasn't worried about meeting someone new. He couldn't put his finger on why he was uneasy about the upcoming meeting. He just had a bad feeling that something was going to go wrong.


	275. Chapter 275

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 275** _ **One Detail**_

"

Juan Salazar was Hector's baby brother. Hector promised him that if he helped the Calaveras Lodi wipe out SAMCRO then he would sponsor him as a prospect for the Mayans when the CL got patched over.

He was excited about being a member of the Mayans. He would have to learn to ride a bike. Hector also promised to give him his bike because with the money he was going to be getting for the hit on SAMCRO, he was going to buy himself a brand new bike.

Just like Hector told him to, he overheard the conversation between Haney and someone else confirming the meeting for 8 pm tonight. He called Hector to let him know. That was the end of his job.

The pub's kitchen was kept immaculate. He wiped down all the counters, cleaned the stove and refrigerator. As he mopped the floor, it seemed like he was forgetting something. There was something else he was supposed to do. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn't remember what else he was supposed to do.

When he got home, he finally remembered that he was supposed to clean the vent on the stove. No one would notice just this once. He grabbed a beer and settled in for a fun night of video games.


	276. Chapter 276

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 276** _ **Scarlett Reminder**_

"

Jax called Scarlett late Sunday afternoon. He'd spent most of the day at a brunch that Gemma had put together for the MC.

"Are you speaking to me?" he asked.

"I answered the phone and I knew it was you," Scarlett said coolly.

"I really want to fix this with you."

"I don't know if that's going to be possible," she said softly.

"You are definitely not letting me off the hook."

"Damned right I'm not."

Jax didn't really think Scarlett was going to let him get by with his Saturday afternoon behavior. He had behaved badly and he deserved a certain amount of shit as a result.

"My meeting tonight isn't happening until eight. I should be back by ten. Is that too late to come by?"

There was a long pause.

"No. You can come by. Remember to wear your Kevlar vest. I want you alive so we can argue about your bad behavior."

"Yes, ma'am," Jax said.

He turned off the phone smiling at the prospect of seeing Scarlett. It sounded like after a little talk everything was going to be OK between them.

He would ride his bike to the clubhouse and they would then take two cars to the meeting. TM occasionally fixed up cars and sold them. It was useful for the MC to have access to cars. Bikes especially when they rode as a group caused attention. Sometimes they didn't want to stick out. This was one of those times.

Tonight they would be taking a blue Ford and a white Chevy. Clay wanted them to leave an hour early and take two different routes to Haney's to make sure no one was following them. They needed to stay under the ATF's radar.

Jax put his gun holster on and checked his gun to make sure he had a full clip before holstering it. He put on his cut and dropped two clips of ammo into it. He had just locked the front door when he remembered he'd forgotten to put on his Kevlar vest.

He hesitated not wanting to take the time to put it on, but Scarlett told him twice to wear it and he'd said he would. He didn't expect any problem with the meeting tonight. They'd met at Haney's many times.

Reluctantly he went back inside and put on his Kevlar vest. It wouldn't kill him to wear it and not wearing it could get him killed.


	277. Chapter 277

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 277** _ **Target Acquired**_

"

The men of Calaveras Lodi were excited for the coming night's activity. This would be there first major action since the MC was started three years ago. They finished the last of their three beers at Esai's apartment.

"We have got to pull this off flawlessly. We fuck this up and we won't get patched in," Esai said cautioning his crew.

"And we could get the shit shot out of us," Aron said and they all laughed.

They were all in great moods with the confidence of the young and untested. They thought walking into a pub and killing all of SAMCRO would be easy. They all had practice doing drive by shootings, but they had never been in a situation where they had to face return fire.

Esai's plan was simple. Hector would keep watch. Two would go in the front and two in the back. They shoot and they leave out the back where they left their getaway car. Hector would be in a car out front monitoring police frequencies and using his cell phone if he needed to tell them something.

Just like SAMCRO deciding not to ride their bikes, the CL would also be taking cars. It's hard to carry automatic weapons on a bike and it would attract the attention of law enforcement.

Hector, Jose and Aron waited in their car parked near the pub's front door. Esai and Jo-Jo were parked in their car in the back of Haney's waiting for word that SAMCRO was in the bar.

"I see them," Hector said calling Esai's cell phone. "They aren't on their bikes and they aren't wearing their cuts."

"Are you sure it's SAMCRO?" Esaid asked.

"Yeah, I recognize them," Hector said confidently. "They are walking into the pub now. Four of them. I recognize Clay and Jax."

"OK. Two minute countdown give them a chance to sit down. Time to go."

Aron and Jose ran in the front door and Esai and Jo-Jo ran to the back door. The attack on SAMCRO was on!


	278. Chapter 278

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 278** _ **Shots Fired**_

"

Esai and Jo-Jo discovered what shouldn't have surprised them; the back door was locked. This was what happened when you trusted a Salazar. There was no way in hell Juan Salazar would get patched into anything.

Esai quickly called Aron.

"Wait for us. The fucking back door was locked."

"Quick we've got to get to the front door," Esai said in Spanish.

The two men sprinted to the front door.

There was a closed sign in the window, but the door was open unlocked. Haney's Pub was a simple no frills pub. The door opened to a very small entryway. A large L shaped bar dominated the room. Off to the left at the back of the pub was a small room for private parties or meetings.

Esai was president of the club. It was only right for him to be the first one through the front door.

"Keep your ARs low so they don't see them right away and remember, we're going to be Mayans."

Esai opened the door his AR concealed by a long coat.

"What the hell are you doing here? Haney growled. "Get out. We're closed."

The three other members of Calaveras Lodi were now inside. Esai and Jo-Jo ran to the small room in the back for private parties and began firing their weapons at SAMCRO.

Aron and Jose had gun troubles. Hector jammed the clips in the guns the wrong way. The two men were frantically trying to take the clip out and fix the problem. The clips were still in their hands when Haney grabbed his shot gun from under the bar and hit both men splat in the middle of the chest killing them both before they hit the ground.

 **Next Chapter:** _ **Load Wounded**_


	279. Chapter 279

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 279** _ **Load Wounded**_

"

Clay, Jax, Chibs and Tig carrying a large black duffle bag walked into Haney's Pub. They greeted Haney and grabbed thick ice cold mugs of beer before heading down to the room used for parties and meetings.

The room was simply furnished with pictures of shamrocks on the wall, blue or green carpet depending on what stained the area of the carpet, dark brown battered wooden tables and chairs and a man sitting at two tables that had been shoved together.

He was a short man in his fifties with an average build, a grayish brown band of hair that went from ear to ear, bright blue eyes and a battered weather worn face.

Clay took a gulp of his beer.

"What's your favorite beer?" Clay asked.

"Bud Lite."

"Guinness tastes like piss," Clay replied.

"Cam Hayes," he said with a distinct Irish accent.

Clay introduced everyone and they sat down. Clay sat down across from Cam with Tig and Jax next to him. Chibs sat next to Cam.

"Sorry about McKeavey," Clay said.

"Port commissioner had him beaten to death."

"Need any help with that?" Clay asked.

Cam shook his head and downed his shot of whisky.

"No, I'll handle it."

"There's the payment to keep your cause afloat," Clay said, nodding to Tig to hand the duffle bag to Cam.

Cam didn't bother counting it. It would have been an insult to the MC's honor and he was a new contact for the MC. He put the bag down wedging it between him and the wall.

Chibs left the table and returned a few minutes later with a round of shots of whiskey.

"To Michael McKeavey," Clay said.

"Justice will be swift and certain," Cam added.

Everyone clinked glasses and downed their shots.

They heard running. Instantly, they were all alert. Tig as sergeant at arms was responsible for the president's safety. He shoved Clay out of his chair and to the ground as a precaution. Clay cursed.

Esai rounded the corner with Jo-Jo on his heels. They sprayed the room with bullets. Tig, Jax and Chibs returned fire. Jo-Jo fell to the ground hit by several rounds. Esai ran out the back door, fortunately for him the door was only locked on the outside.

Jax was sprawled on the ground face down.

"Everyone whole?" Clay asked.

"Aye," Chibs said.

"Aye," said Cam.

"Jackie?" Chibs said.

"I'm fine," Jax said his voice muffled. "I think I took a couple of rounds to the vest and they knocked me out of my chair."

Tig looked at Jax.

"Brother, you took more than a couple of rounds."

Jax turned his head and saw blood.


	280. Chapter 280

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter 280** _ **Double Hell**_

"

Esai ran across Haney's parking lot, he got in the car and took off. A few seconds later, his cell phone rang.

"What's going on?" Hector Salazar asked.

"Where are you?"

"Still at the lookout spot."

"Get out of there. Go back to my apartment."

"What happened?"

Esai ended the call. He was furious with the Salazar brothers and most of all himself. He should have known Hector's brother would screw up making sure the back door was unlocked. It was a simple task, but it was obviously too hard for him to do. Fucking idiot.

He assumed the others were dead. When he saw Jo-Jo fall that had a fatal look. Trying to help him flee wouldn't have helped. He would have just gotten killed.

Aron and Juan must also be dead. He couldn't even remember hearing them shoot. He heard the blast of a shot gun a couple of times. What the hell could have happened?

Esai drove a few more miles trying to come up with a reason why Aron and Juan wouldn't have used their weapons. He had to accept the most logical explanation. Hector had fucked up the clips and the guns couldn't be fired. It was an easy task. How could he have gotten that wrong? Because Hector was a chronic screw up who got everything wrong. He wanted to kill the mother fucker.

As he got closer to his apartment some of his rage at Hector and his brother for their screw-ups turned inward. _He_ had been the one assigning duties. He knew both Salazars were idiots yet he had entrusted two vital points in his plan to them.

Everyone should have just checked their own damned guns and ammunition and he should have checked the back door earlier. Instead, he placed faith in Salazar's half-wit brother to unlock the door.

The plan was all wrong. They shouldn't have attacked them inside. They should have waited until they were leaving and killed them as they left.

He was so fucked. He hadn't gotten the money or the guns. He'd lost most of his MC leaving only Hector Salazar in the MC not counting him.

And it got worse. He was going to have to face his father with his failure. His CL MC tried to assassinate members of a rival MC. It would take SAMCRO about two seconds before they connected CL with the Mayans.

There was going to be a bloody war between the Mayans and the Sons of Anarchy.


	281. Chapter 281

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **281 Bloody Hell**_

"

Clay was driving alone in the white Chevy. Behind him was the blue Ford. Tig was driving while Chibs was in the backseat applying pressure to Jax's wounds. They followed all the traffic laws. They couldn't afford to get pulled over with a man with bullet wounds in the car.

Jax thought his pain was caused by the bullets he'd taken to the vest. Bullet proof vests may keep the bullets from entering the body, but they still packed a hell of a punch. There was a lot of blood, but it always looked like a lot of blood when it was your blood.

The twenty minute drive to TM seemed to take forever. They backed the Ford as close as they could get to the clubhouse door. Getting him into the club house was going to be tricky.

"I can walk," Jax insisted.

He had barely made it to the car before collapsing. He was worse now; his right pant leg was soaked with blood.

"We're carrying you, Jackie Boy. We'll make it quick."

On the drive to the clubhouse, Clay called Gemma to tell her what happened and instruct her to set up a room to treat Jax. Once at TM, Clay went to check on the room. He sent Happy outside to help carry Jax.

Jax groaned as they dragged him out of the car. Happy grabbed Jax's upper body and pulled him. Once his torso was out of the car, Tig lifted him and Chibs grabbed his legs. With Happy leading the way, they carried him into a small room in the clubhouse and put him on the large table that was usually used for buffets or club meals.

Gemma had spread out a thick plastic table cloth on the table. On top, she'd spread a pink floral bed sheet. She bought them at a going out of business sale. Clay refused to sleep on them. Now, they could provide a little comfort to her son.

When she saw him, the color drained from her face leaving it almost the same color as Jax's face. Clay told her there was a lot of blood, but she wasn't prepared for that much blood.

As soon as Jax was placed face down on the table, Gemma rushed over to him.

"I heard you got shot," Gemma said.

"Just a little," he said.

"I need to get to work getting the bullets out," Chibs said gently.

Gemma kissed Jax's cheek.

"You aren't going to want to see this," Chibs said.

Gemma nodded and left the room on shaky legs. She went out and joined Clay, Tig and Happy at the bar. Sack sat at a small table alone. As a prospect, he didn't join the others unless he was invited.

The rest of the MC was out of town. Piney was at the cabin with Opie, Donna and the kids and Bobby was doing his Elvis act.

The atmosphere in the clubhouse was dark, gloomy and quiet. There was simply nothing to say until they found out whether or not Jax was going to live.

Chibs used a heavy pair of scissors to cut Jax's jeans off, EMT style.

"These are my favorite pair," Jax protested weakly.

"They were too big for you,"

Jax tried to laugh. Chibs was always ribbing him over his baggy jeans.

"Juice, go out to the bar and get a bottle of whisky. The good stuff, top shelf."

"Oh, hell," Jax said. "It must really be bad. How many bullets?"

Chibs stripped off Jax's hoodie and lifted up his Kevlar vest and T-shirt.

"Well, you took three to the vest. You would have been dead if you hadn't been wearing this."

"Scarlett told me to wear it."

"Good thing you listened."

"Right before I left, she told me. How many other shots?"

"Two or three."

"Shit," Jax said weakly.

"There's a couple we might need to look for."

Jax knew exactly what that meant. He'd seen Chibs dig bullets out of people.

Juice came in with a bottle of whiskey.

Chibs poured a couple shots worth into Jax's mouth and then took a shot for himself before grabbing the first aid kit the MC kept handy in a closet in the room. He ran the flame from a lighter over the edge of one of the knives in the kit.

"I'm sorry. It's going to hurt."

"No, shit. I've got three bullet holes in me."

Jax gritted his teeth and focused on Scarlett to help with the pain. Once the bullets were out, he was going to see Scarlett. He could get through this because seeing Scarlett was going to be his reward.

He groaned as Chibs cut into his skin. He looked back and saw blood everywhere. It was a blood flood.

"More whiskey," Chibs ordered Juice. "Give it to him."

Juice poured some more whiskey into Jax's mouth.

Chibs was probing around Jax's leg with tweezers.

"Got it," Chibs said triumphantly. "That was the easy one."

That was the moment when Jax questioned whether or not he was going to live through Chibs' medical treatment. He'd had guns put to his head, he'd been shot at and even tonight in that hail of automatic weapons fire, he didn't think he would die. Now he wasn't so sure.

His body felt weak and it wasn't the alcohol. It was blood loss. This really might be the end of his life. If he didn't make it, there was just one thing he wanted—he wanted to see Scarlett one more time.

"Sack," Jax shouted weakly. "I want to see Scarlett. You know where she's staying. Bring her here."

Sack looked at Clay. Normally an outsider wouldn't be brought into this kind of situation. Clay could overrule Jax.

"You heard him," Clay said gruffly. "Bring his girl here. Take the white Chevy."

"Hurry," Jax whispered.

Jax blinked and fought to stay conscious so he could see Scarlett maybe for the last time.


	282. Chapter 282

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **282 Deadly Choices**_

"

Esai was reviewing his options. There was only one good option and that was to get the hell out of California, go to Mexico and start a new life with a new name. He could tell his father his plans and then kill one or both of the Salazar brothers or he could just pack up and go.

He could tell his father and take the punishment which probably meant dying either by a Mayan to avert war with the Sons or dying at the hands of SAMCRO. In the MC world, failure carried a high price. He knew it when he told his father of his plan. He'd accepted the risk, but he never believed that he would fail. Only losers plan to fail.

There was a last high risk option, but it was the only way to redeem himself. He could carry out his plan to kill SAMCRO. At least if he went after SAMCRO, he might be able to kill a couple of them. He might even be able to kill all of them and be a hero. Calaveras Lodi would be avenged.

He could carve CL into the bodies take credit for it; make sure the Sons knew this was Calaveras Lodi and not the Mayans. That might avert a war between the Sons and the Mayans. It was worth a shot anyway.


	283. Chapter 283

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **283 Mother Love**_

"

Chibs was giving Jax a break from his bullet hunting. He'd covered the backside of Jax's body with a sheet to give him some modesty because he knew Gemma would waste no time going in to see her son.

"How are you doing, sweetheart?" Gemma asked.

"Definitely been better."

"I'm sure Chibs will have you feeling better in no time."

"Yeah."

Jax's confidence in Chibs' medical abilities was wavering. He understood the bullets were dangerous, but the greater threat to his life was blood loss and infection. A member of Tacoma had taken a bullet to the leg that led to an infection. He lost a leg and almost his life.

"Jax, I know you and your blonde friend are seeing each other, but this is very intense. It may be more she can handle. She's really not the MC type."

He stared at Gemma. Maybe the pain or thinking about the possibility of dying allowed him to see his mother more clearly than he ever had before. She was controlling, jealous and selfish.

"What do you mean by that?"

"She doesn't fit in this world. Maybe it would be best if I told her you were asleep and can't see her."

Jax's anger gave him a shot of strength.

"You don't tell me who fits in my world. You treat her with respect or there will be hell to pay."

"I only want what's best for you. You know that. She's kind of got this attitude that she's better than everyone. It's never going to work. I just don't want to see you hurt anymore."

"Maybe I should leave the MC. That would keep me from getting hurt."

Gemma stared at Jax.

"You know that's not how I meant that."

"No, _you_ want to choose how I get hurt."

"She's just a pretty piece of ass."

"Scarlett's my old lady."

Jax had intended to give Gemma and the MC this news in a different way. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell everyone, but he definitely hadn't planned on telling Gemma like this.

"Since when?" Gemma gasped.

"It doesn't matter. I'll let my brothers know later after all this."

"Why didn't you tell me this sooner?"

"I don't have to tell you about every single thing going on in my life," Jax said impatiently.

"Well," Gemma said with frost in her voice, "I hope this isn't a repeat of the Wendy situation."

"And that's why I don't tell you things," Jax said sarcastically. "Here I am lying on a table with bullets in me and instead on showing me a little compassion all I get is judgement and jealousy over Scarlett. Just leave."

"Really, Jax, you don't know what you're saying. It's the blood loss and the injury. You'll see things differently when you feel better."

"Get out! I'd rather have Chibs probe my ass for bullets than hear anything you have to say. Just make sure I see Scarlett as soon as she gets here."

"If she comes," Gemma said maliciously.

"She'll be here," Jax said.

He wondered how he had never seen through his mother like this.


	284. Chapter 284

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **284 Scarlett's Devotion**_

"

Scarlett looked at the alarm clock on the bedside table. Jax should be here any minute now. She went into the bathroom and quickly added a brush of blush over her cheeks and a red stain to her lips. She was wearing pale pink knee length leggings with a turquoise tunic that had big light green, pink and white tropical flowers. Scarlett loved the T-shirt because it was such a bright cheerful shirt. She couldn't help but feel happy wearing it.

When the knock came, she was so sure it was Jax she flung open the door without checking the peephole. It was Sack.

She was furious with herself for this lapse in security. She knew better than to open the door without looking through the peephole. This time it was OK, but the next time, it could be someone sent by her psycho ex or a random rapist/serial killer.

"Can I come in?" he asked quietly. "I need to tell you something."

Scarlett let him in and closed the door behind him.

"What is it?" she asked eyeing him warily.

"Jax is at the clubhouse and he wants to see you there."

"Is Jax's mouth broken? Why doesn't he tell me himself?"

Sack looked down at the carpet.

"He was kind of in an accident."

"What kind of accident?"

"Uh . . . the kind where there might have been guns."

"Oh, my God. Is he going to be OK?"

"Yeah."

Scarlett heard the uncertainty in his voice and it terrified her. She switched her slippers for ivory flip flops. She dropped her small crossbody red bag into her larger pale beige tote bag where she kept a gun and her medication.

"I have a car so I can drive you."

"I'd rather drive myself."

"You can follow me. I have to unlock the gate before we can get in."

"Sack, I need to mentally prepare myself. How bad is it?"

He hesitated.

"Iraq bad," he said finally.

Scarlett sucked in her breath.

"OK, let's go," she said.

She left the TV and lights on. She didn't like coming back to a dark room. On the way to the clubhouse, all she could think about was Jax lying near death.

While she waited for Sack to unlock the gates, she noticed not only was there a camera at the gate, there were cameras on the roof to monitor the streets. After Sack unlocked the gates, he drove through, waited for Scarlett and then closed and locked the gates behind them.

During the drive, she willed herself to be strong and tough. She didn't want him to be hurt and in pain. Most of all, she didn't want him to die.

She'd never been in the clubhouse before, but it looked pretty much like pictures of MC clubhouses she'd seen on TV and the internet. There was an L shaped brown sofa, a pool table, small tables with chairs and a bar along the back where the MC was gathered.

There was a light on over the bar, but it was still gloomy. That seemed to reflect the mood of the group clustered around the bar. She recognized Clay and Gemma, but she wasn't sure of the names of the other guys.

"Well, take her back to see Jax," Gemma said sharply.

Scarlett instantly knew that Gemma wasn't happy to see her and she thought it was more than her being upset about her son being shot. Tara confided that she and Gemma had a bad relationship. Scarlett didn't expect to have a better one.

She trailed after Sack each step filled with more dread than the one before it. Jax was lying on the table. When he heard their footsteps, he turned his head and his face lost some of its pained expression.

Chibs replaced the sheet before Scarlett could see any of Jax's injuries.

"I'll give you a couple of minutes," he said and left.

"Sack bring Scarlett a chair. She can't bend down to talk to me."

Sack trotted off to bring a chair.

Scarlett just looked at Jax. He was pale and she could tell he was in a lot of pain.

"Thanks," Scarlett said as Sack brought a chair and positioned it near Jax's head before leaving them alone.

She sat down slowly. She tenderly stroked his hair back from his face.

"What happened?"

"I got shot a little," he said weakly.

"Did you wear your vest?"

"Yeah. I forgot and I remembered you told me twice to wear it. I went back and put it on. It's why I'm alive. You saved my life."

Scarlett kissed his cheek.

"If you think getting all shot up gets you out of our fight, you're wrong."

Jax managed a small smile.

"I didn't think I'd get off that easy."

"Damned right."

"Kiss me."

She kissed his cheek and continued to stroke his hair.

"Lips."

"You're bossy when you get shot," she said softly.

He flashed her his Jax Teller grin only this one was hiding the pain he was in.

She kissed him softly on the lips and looked into his eyes.

"No more getting shot."

"Hadn't planned this one."

"Is there anything I can do? I have pain medication with me, but there could be a bleeding issue if you take it."

"I'll see how bad it gets. Once the bullets are out, maybe then."

Chibs walked into the room with an unsteady gait.

"Need to get those things out," Chibs said apologetically his voice slightly slurred. "I don't think you should see this."

"I don't want to leave."

"How about you sit where I can see you?" Jax suggested. "I really want to be able to see you."

"Anything for you," she whispered and kissed him gently on the lips before getting up from the chair.

Chibs took the chair and moved it outside the room to a place where Jax could see her, but she couldn't see much of what was going on with his wounds.

He went to the bar and returned with a half empty bottle of whiskey. He poured some in Jax's mouth before he began probing for bullets followed by Jax groaning at the pain.

Scarlett's eyes filled with tears. This was unbearable.


	285. Chapter 285

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **285 Clay Ponders**_

"

Despite his injuries, Jax insisted they check the attackers for identification before leaving. While Chibs worked on applying pressure to Jax's wounds, Tig searched the bodies of the three dead Mexicans and photographed the tattoos with his phone. They also found driver's licenses which they photographed.

Tig had sent the information to Juice on the return drive to Charming, so by the time they got to the clubhouse, they knew that they had been attacked by the Calaveras Lodi. A little more digging turned up the link that the Calaveras Lodi was a brother club to the Mayans and the CL's president was Marcus Alvarez's son. This was a Mayan hit carried out by the Calaveras Lodi.

Clay had Tig and Juice making calls to all the regional Sons chapters to get them into Charming for tomorrow's 6 pm meeting. They had to discuss this attempt to wipe out SAMCRO and how the Sons of Anarchy were going to respond.

Clay didn't see any way around war. It would be bloody and long, but the Mayans should have thought about that when they tried to wipe out four members of his MC including him. The response to the attempted assassinations had to be swift, violent and it had to hit back harder. He knew all the other chapters of the Sons would be on board for war with the Mayans. Alvarez had no idea how much hell was going to rain down on the Mayans.


	286. Chapter 286

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **286 Breaking Point**_

"

Scarlett sat in the chair and listened to Jax's muffled groans as Chibs relentlessly tortured him. She couldn't stand to see Jax in so much pain. She was terrified that Chibs didn't know what he was doing and he would either kill Jax by causing him to bleed to death or not take the proper precautions and give him a fatal infection. Even in hospitals people got fatal infections.

"You can come here and sit with us," Gemma called to Scarlett without any real invitation in her voice.

"Thanks, but Jax wants me to sit here so he can see me."

Gemma rolled her eyes and poured herself a drink.

Each time Jax groaned, Scarlett flinched and her eyes filled with tears. This was insane; they were going to kill him.

Chibs took another break. Scarlett moved her chair back into the room so she could sit with Jax.

"How much longer is he going to torture you?" Scarlett asked. Her fingers automatically moved to Jax's face and she stroked it trying to provide some kind of comfort to him.

"Until he gets all the bullets out," Jax said.

The sheet was bloodier and Jax's voice was weaker.

"Do you think he has the skills for this?"

"Sure," he said and tried to smile. "He was a medic in the military."

"For how long?"

"About six months until got court-martialed."

Scarlett hid her horror. A medic of six months wasn't going to be able to handle a lot especially since she had no idea how much training he got and what kind of actual experience he had treating injuries. And then he got court martialed. Was that because he botched taking care of someone or was there another cause? The answer to that question scared her so much, she couldn't ask it.

This time when Chibs walked into the room, he was less steady on his feet. He poured more alcohol in Jax's mouth.

"We'll get those bullets this time, Jackie boy. Juice is going to help," Chibs said, his voice slurred.

Scarlett looked at Juice and was skeptical of his abilities. He was average height with a wiry frame. His head was shaved on either side with some tribal looking tattoos replacing his hair. There was strip of hair down the middle of his head that looked more like a textured craft paint than real hair. It took Scarlett a moment to realize he didn't have facial hair. That might be a first. She couldn't remember if he were the only one without facial hair.

"Go on Juice," Chibs said. "Move her chair for her."

Juice took her chair and returned it to its previous place outside the door.

"Does he know what he's doing?" Scarlett whispered to Juice.

"Mostly," Juice whispered back.

Scarlett added a new worry to her list Chibs appeared drunk. How could he dig and cut around on Jax when he was drunk? What the hell was wrong with these people? Gemma was Jax's mother. What wasn't she doing something for Jax?

It wasn't long before the torture began. Scarlett couldn't bear for Jax to be in so much pain. The idea of digging bullets out of someone made her sick. There were tears in her eyes. She couldn't stand much more of this.

Something happened. There was a loud shout of pain from Jax. Chibs removed a bullet before grabbing Juice's hand and stuffed it in what looked like Jax's bullet holes. She couldn't see much from the chair and she was grateful for that.

Chibs covered Jax with the sheet again. Juice stayed, his hand under the sheet somewhere plugging the holes in Jax.

When Chibs left the room this time, he was noticeably shakier. He went to the bar. Scarlett couldn't hear all of the conversation from where she sat, but the words she could make out filled her with terror. Chibs kept repeating this was way outside his wheelhouse. He needed surgical tools and he was in way over his head.

They talked about who they could get for help. The guy with curly hair said he knew a girl who was two weeks into medical assistant school. There was another bald man with a tattooed head who knew someone who worked in a vet's office.

Scarlett couldn't help but think that these people were idiots. A medical assistant two weeks into medical assistant school? Really not that same as having medical training.

She'd given them plenty of time to solve this problem. She'd had enough. They had practically killed Jax. It was time for her to step in, get things done and save Jax.

She stood up and scooted her chair back into Jax's room. She could smell that hot metallic smell that blood has and noticed there was more blood on the sheet. In some areas, it was completely saturated.

"Could I talk to Jax for a minute alone?"

"Sorry, I'm plugging up some bullet holes."

"OK," she said. She sat down and gently stroked Jax's face.

"I need to leave for about fifteen to twenty minutes, but I'll be back."

Jax nodded. He appeared barely conscious. She didn't know if that was due to the blood loss or all the alcohol Chibs poured down his throat.

"Jax," Scarlett spoke more loudly.

Jax's eyes fluttered opened.

She leaned close, cupping her hand around his ear.

"I love you. _Don't die_."

Despite all the pain and alcohol, he knew what she'd said. He smiled at her. This was his first happy smile since he'd gotten shot.

"Tell you. Lean down."

Scarlett leaned down so Jax could whisper in her ear.

"I love you too and I won't," he said softly in her ear.

Scarlett smiled at him before kissing him lightly on the lips and standing up.

"I won't be gone long," she promised.

By the time she had walked to the bar, Scarlett was a different version of herself. Her father nicknamed this side of Scarlett's personality Scary Scarlett. It was time for her to take charge and get things done.


	287. Chapter 287

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **287 New Threat**_

"

There was only one man that could terrify Marcus Alvarez and he was on the other end of this phone call. Nero Padilla was the regional president of the Mayans. The region extended from Texas to California and down to Mexico. His job was to keep the Mayan charters working together and to keep order. That could include ordering the death of a charter president who broke the rules.

"Marcus, there's word on the street that someone tried to wipe out the Charming charter of the Sons of Anarchy."

Marcus was a no win situation. If he said he knew about it, then he would be in trouble for not informing Nero. If he said he hadn't heard, it would look like he didn't know what was going on.

"I've heard there was a shooting, but I haven't gotten any confirmed information," Marcus said carefully.

"Let me confirm some things for you," Nero said his voice silky.

Marcus knew that tone of voice and it was a sign of danger. He had no information because Esai his son hadn't called him. He didn't know if that meant he was dead, wounded or on the run.

"The Sons were attacked and miraculously they all lived. The attackers weren't so lucky. They were all killed except one, possibly two escaped."

Marcus' heart beat faster. This was bad. He felt like he was walking into a trap. He had to say or do whatever it took to save his charter. That was the outlaw MC way. Family ties were not as important as club ties. Esai knew that. He also knew the consequences of failure.

"Any word on who was behind the attack?"

"Glad you asked," Nero said. "Turns out it may have been some small brother club. You may have heard of it Calaveras Lodi."

"That's my son's MC."

"Why would they attack the Sons? Do you know anything about it?"

This was the time when Esai was going to have to be sacrificed for the good of his Mayans charter.

"No, I had no idea he had this planned."

"What do you intend to do about this?"

"I can't have brother charters going out and attacking a major charter like the Sons."

"That doesn't tell me what you are going to do about this. This goes beyond the Calaveras Lodi. You know the Sons will view this as an attack on all their charters. This will lead to a bloody war and for what? A brother charter who came up with a stupid idea and failed and now all the Mayan charters may have to pay the price in a war."

"What do you suggest?"

"Eliminate all living members of the Calaveras Lodi. That's the easy part. Next, you contact the Sons and find a way to make peace with them. I don't care how much it costs your charter. We will not go to war over this. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir."

The call ended. Marcus cursed himself for letting his son put the plan against the Sons into action. Now Esai, if he were still alive, had to pay with his life and his Mayan charter will have to pay financially. He could even be voted out as charter president. This was a fucking disaster.


	288. Chapter 288

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **288 Scary Scarlett**_

"

Gemma noticed the change in Scarlett immediately. Jax's beautiful blonde push toy had a different side to her taking Gemma by surprise. She'd dismissed her as all looks and no brain. She might have to revise the opinion. That girl had some fire in her.

"I'm leaving. I'll be back in fifteen to twenty minutes. I'm going to get Tara to save Jax."

"She won't come," Gemma said.

Scarlett locked eyes with Gemma and gave her a look of contempt.

"Yes, she will. I don't know if you think by telling me that she won't come you think you will somehow motivate me more to get her here or if you are just being a bitch. I don't care. I don't need motivated. The only thing I give a damn about is saving Jax."

The men looked at each other and then at Gemma waiting to see her reaction.

"Get her here then," Gemma said challenging her.

Gemma swallowed her anger. Getting Tara to save Jax was the best way to save his life short of taking him to the hospital. Clay hadn't shared the details of what had happened that night. He might later when they were alone, but she knew whatever happened might have devastating legal consequences like long stretches in prison and legal bills that would take everything they had.

Bobby walked into the clubhouse. He was wearing his normal jeans, shirt and cut, but he hadn't taken off his Elvis make-up just the wig and side burns.

"I left as soon as I got word. How's Jax?"

"Near death," Scarlett answered for the group. "Thanks to this guy," she said pointing at Chibs. "They have been talking about getting a medical assistant with two weeks of training or someone who works at a vet's office to help. I don't know if you guys thought that would motivate me to get Tara to help Jax or if you're really that stupid."

Scarlett's face was flushed, her eyes flashing with fury. The men looked down at the bar. She had actually managed to shame them much to Gemma's surprise. Even Clay looked down at the bar.

Chibs finished another shot. Scarlett took her hand and swept the shot glass off the bar causing it to fall to the ground.

"Quit drinking. It isn't helping Jax. While I'm gone, you stay away from him. You've almost killed him. If I find out you've dug around on him again, I will break this bottle off," she said pointing at a near empty bottle of whiskey, "and shove the jagged end so far up your ass, you'll be spitting glass. If the bottle's gone, I'll shoot you. Am I clear?"

Scarlett looked at Chibs. He nodded.

"What was that?" she demanded. "I didn't hear you."

"Aye."

Gemma could read fear on Chibs' face. The other guys including Clay were looking at her with some fear, but there was something else too they liked that fierceness. They wanted a woman who would fight for them like Scarlett was fighting for Jax. That bitch might actually make a good old lady for Jax as long as she knew her place.

Scarlett turned to leave.

"Sack, go with her and keep her safe," Clay said.

"Or she could keep him safe," Bobby suggested.

The guys laughed uneasily.

"I'm going to go keep Jax company," Bobby said.

"Best idea I've heard all night," Scarlett said. "Just don't give him any alcohol."

Scarlett left the clubhouse with Sack trailing after her.

Bobby went back to see Jax. He fired up a joint and shared it with Jax. She hadn't said not to give him weed.


	289. Chapter 289

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **288 Daddy Dearest**_

"

Esai Alvarez decided the least he could do was to give his father a heads up about his botched attempt to kill SAMCRO. Maybe he would be able to tell from his father's voice how much trouble he was in and whether or not he was going to be marked for death.

"I screwed up the SAMCRO hit," Esai said as soon as his father answered his cell.

"The word is already out. You should have called me sooner," Marcus said reproachfully.

His voice was soft, but Esai knew better than to be taken in by that voice. His father rarely raised his voice, but that was what it more frightening.

"I'm sorry. What can I do to make this right?" Esai said with a note of desperation in his voice. "I can still take out SAMCRO. I'll do it on my own. There won't be any screw ups this time."

"I think that will work. Come to the clubhouse. Bring any members of your MC with you. We'll come up with a plan together."

"OK. I'll do that. I should be there in an hour."

"I'll be waiting."

"Bye."

Esai didn't know where he was going to be in an hour; he only knew that he wasn't going to be anywhere near his father's clubhouse.


	290. Chapter 290

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **289 Stalks a Lot**_

"

Tara looked out the kitchen window being careful to not be seen from outside. He was still there. He was driving a different rental car. Now he was driving a white Crown Victoria. He had also amped up his stalking tonight. He was now sitting outside her house. She had no idea when or if he'd leave. Worse, she feared he would try to break into her house and attack her.

She was going to have to figure out something to do about him soon. Maybe she could get a temporary restraining order against Kohn and Hale's father could make sure she got the restraining order. That might at least stop him from staying outside her house.

She saw Scarlett pull into her driveway and park. There was another car that seemed to be with her. It parked on the other side of her driveway.

She opened the door before Scarlett knocked and let her into the house.

"What's wrong?" Tara asked. She instantly knew something was wrong by the look on Scarlett's face.

"It's Jax. There was some kind of problem with the MC," Scarlett paused.

"Oh, hell," Tara said. She knew what the next words would be because back when she was with Jax they were the words she dreaded the most to hear.

"He got shot a couple of times," Scarlett's eyes filled with tears. "It's really bad. Chibs has been digging into him."

"I hate that fucking MC," Tara said with fire in her voice.

"I need you to save him. I don't know if he'll make it if you don't help."

"Where did he get shot?"

"Upper left leg I think."

"No chest, back or gut wound?"

"He was wearing a Kevlar vest."

Tara shut her eyes and shook her head.

"I hate this. I'm going to do this because you're asking and it's for Jax. If it were for anyone else in that fucking club, they would either have to go to the hospital or die."

"I wouldn't ask for anyone but Jax."

"Where is he?"

"He's at the clubhouse."

"Of course. The place I hate the most," Tara said with a sigh. "OK. I have a problem we need to deal with first. My psycho ex is outside. I can't have him follow me to the clubhouse."

"I have one of the prospects with me. He's called Sack. I'll get him. He can do something maybe to the car."

"OK. I'll put my shoes on while you go get him."

Tara went into her bedroom and put on her shoes. She hadn't moved into the master bedroom of the house. It was still filled with her father's stuff. She needed to move his things out of the bedroom, get a new bed and give the room a makeover and then maybe the house would finally feel like hers.

For now, she was going to risk losing her medical license and her freedom by treating Jax's gunshot wound or wounds. Damn that fucking MC.

As much as she hated it, she would have to just suck it up and go to the MC and face the ghosts from her past, but she wasn't that same girl.

Now, she was the one with all the power because they needed her to save Jax's life. This was her time to get some payback.


	291. Chapter 291

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **291 Sack Attack**_

"

Sack hated his name Kip. It always felt like was short for something. What kind of parents wait ten years to have a kid only to pick a name with only three letters? It was like they weren't even trying.

He liked being called Sack or even Half-Sack. It was who he was—a tough ex-soldier who lost a ball in the service of his country. He was proud of that. There wasn't anything to be proud of in the name Kip.

He was sitting in the car with the windows down so he could hear the ambient sounds and maintain situational awareness. That had been a big thing in the military—situational awareness.

Scarlett was walking to the car in that painfully slow walk of hers.

"Tara and I need a favor," Scarlett said.

"OK."

"You need to take off your cut. Tara doesn't want any connection between her and the MC and that includes you."

While Sack took off his cut, he thought about a favor two girls had asked a guy a few days ago. He'd spent all night cleaning, detailing and polishing Chibs' and Clay's bikes so they looked like they'd just been driven off the showroom floor. Prospects rarely got any reward for hard work. It was expected. This was an exception. Chibs took him to Cara Cara a porn studio Otto's old lady Lu-ann ran to watch a scene. In it two women asked a guy for a favor just like Scarlett asked him.

He wondered if that could be the same favor that the two women in the porn scene wanted. They had wanted the guy to watch them have sex. It was the best favor ever.

As he walked into Tara's house he began to worry about Jax. He had to be very careful around Scarlett or Jax would kick his ass, kick him out of the MC or both. Tara was another story though. He could hook up with her.

"What's the favor?" Sack asked hopefully.

"There's a guy sitting in a car by my driveway," Tara said. "He's a stalker. I need you to disable his car so he can't follow us. I don't want him to know that I went to the clubhouse."

Sack's face fell. He couldn't hide his disappointment. Maybe there was a chance to rescue his fantasy and make some of it come true.

"You have a broom?"

"I do."

"OK. Get it and give it to me. I'll shove it through his radiator. He won't get far without a radiator. We need a diversion," Sack said. He paused pretending to think. "I'm going to pretend to sweep. The two of you need to draw his attention away from me. You make out. He'll never notice me."

"We're not making out," the women said in unison.

Sack was panicking a little. He hoped he hadn't been disrespectful and Scarlett told Jax.

"No disrespect meant."

"What is it about men and the whole watching women together thing?" Scarlett demanded.

"I don't get it either," Tara said.

"Uh . . . I really can't explain it. It's just a guy thing. I didn't mean any disrespect."

"We can talk," Tara said.

"I'm good with that," Scarlett said.

"After I've done his car, I'll run to my car and take off. You guys leave while I'm attacking his car. Tara first and then Scarlett. Remember I have to unlock the gate at TM. I'll catch up to you two."

Tara grabbed a small purse on a thin strap.

"Do you need your bag?" Scarlett asked.

"No, I've got everything I need in my car."

Tara locked her door and the two women walked out to the driveway. Sack began to sweep the driveway getting closer and closer. He knew it wasn't much of a plan, but he just needed the guy's car disabled so he couldn't follow the women.

The girls leaned in, and for a minute, Sack thought they were going to kiss. He realized they were just drawing the stalker guy's attention to them.

He jammed the broom through the radiator twice. He kept the broom with him as he sprinted to his car, the angry man at his heels.

"What the hell did you do that for?" the man demanded.

Sack hit the man in the gut with the broom, threw it in the backseat and took off before the man had even straightened up. The guy was still hunched over when he took a final look at him in the rearview mirror.

The women were gone. Maybe an imperfect plan, but he'd gotten perfect results.


	292. Chapter 292

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **292 Fingers Where?**_

"

When Tara left Charming, she'd been especially happy that she would never have to set foot in SAMCRO's clubhouse again. At least she was returning in a position of power. This she might enjoy.

Tara walked in first followed by Sack who was pulling a large white trunk on wheels with a red cross on one side along with the words "Surgical/Medical Supplies". Scarlett walking slowly and haltingly brought up the rear.

Gemma was impressed. Tara didn't know whether that was from the trunk or the fact that Scarlett had actually gotten her to make this return to the clubhouse to save Jax.

Bobby was still with Jax. Chibs warned Bobby when he saw Sack unlock the gate so Bobby could remove the weed from the room. He'd even gotten the air freshener from the bathroom and sprayed it around the room hoping to mask the distinctive odor of weed and make it smell more like fields of wildflowers.

"Did you really think we wouldn't smell the weed?" Scarlett demanded.

"You didn't say no weed," Bobby said.

"It's OK, Scarlett," Tara said. "It's better than pouring whiskey down his throat."

Tara noticed the way Jax's eyes lit up when he saw Scarlett.

"How are you feeling?" Scarlett asked softly.

"Better," Jax insisted. "You didn't tell me you were bringing back Tara with you," Jax said to Scarlett.

"I thought you might insist you would be fine with Chibs digging into you. I was going to get Tara to help whether or not I had your permission."

"Thank you Scarlett," Jax said. "Tara, thanks for coming. I think I might be beyond Chibs' training."

"Jax, I'm here because Scarlett came to me and it's you. I wouldn't do this for anyone else. I have some conditions. Could you, Sack, get one of those tables out in the clubhouse and put my trunk on it."

"If you need any more weed . . ." Bobby said.

"No. I'll be dealing with Jax medically," Tara said tartly. "No weed. I only want the very minimum of people. I need someone to hand me things."

"I'll do that," Scarlett volunteered quickly.

"Are you going to be OK with the blood?"

"I will have to be."

Sack brought the table in and put the trunk on the table.

"OK, I don't need you anymore," Tara said. "Let's clear everyone else out."

Bobby and Sack left.

"I'm Juice. I've got my fingers in some of Jax's bullet holes."

"You get to stay then, Juice."

"I have a couple of conditions for treating you. You don't have bullet wounds. You're going to say you injured your ankle. We'll get crutches and I've got ankle bandages. You get out of town for four or five days to recover. You follow my instructions to the letter and to make that happen, Scarlett takes care of you. She's the only one I trust to do it right."

Jax nodded.

"I know this is a huge risk for you," he said. "You have my word that I will follow your instructions and take every precaution you want me to. I need to be at a club meeting tomorrow afternoon. After that, I'll leave town. Scarlett has a place that no one knows about."

"OK."

"I don't have everything with me. I need a few things," Tara said.

She began writing out prescriptions and a separate list.

"Come with me," Tara said to Scarlett.

She waited until they were out of earshot.

"I might need back-up."

"I've got my gun with me if we have to shoot our way out," Scarlett whispered.

Tara laughed.

They returned to the bar area of the clubhouse.

"OK. Gemma, I've written some scripts for you but they're for Jax. You need to take them in person and get them because some of them are for controlled substances and you have to show ID. One is for Oxy. No illegal Oxy for Jax. That stuff is dangerous. You don't know what the hell you're getting. Sometimes it's laced with Fentanyl and a little bit of that stuff will kill you. There's a 24 hour pharmacy on 3rd and Marsh you can get them filled at. I've also written down crutches and the bandages on a list. They have them there.

"Jax has agreed to all of my conditions. He didn't get shot. He has an ankle injury. I can't be connected with this. Scarlett and Jax are leaving for a few days right after some meeting tomorrow. She'll take care of him. She's the only one I trust."

"She can barely take care of herself," Gemma said.

"At least I wasn't the one who got him shot," Scarlett said.

"That's a good point," Bobby said.

"Chibs, do you know how much blood Jax lost?"

Chibs was only slightly more sober since he'd quit drinking a half hour ago.

"A unit, maybe a bit more."

"Get these filled now," Tara said handing the stack of scripts to Gemma. "and get the stuff on the list."

"Can you save him?" Gemma asked.

"As long as he doesn't get an infection."

"Have you ever even treated a bullet wound?"

"Yes I have, but maybe instead of having a real doctor you would prefer to call a zoo and see how that works for Jax."

"Tig, take Gemma to the drugstore," Clay said.

"One last thing," Tara said. "I need something to use as an IV stand."

"You can use the coat stand in the chapel," Chibs said. "I'll get it."

Tara and Scarlett returned to Jax's room. Chibs brought in the coat stand and helped Tara hook the saline sack to the stand.

"I'm sorry, Jackie boy. Should have known better than to dig around on you like that."

"You did your best," Jax said.

Scarlett just looked at Chibs.

"It wasn't good enough. Shouldn't have been so drunk. That didn't help."

He gave Scarlett a nod and left.

Tara inserted the IV in Jax's hand started the saline flowing and pushed a vial of antibiotics through the line.

"I'm going to clean out everything, numb you up so you don't have as much pain and then I'll get the bullets out and sew you up. The cleaning out part may hurt, but it shouldn't be any worse than the pain you've already gone through.

"First, though, I'm going to take a few minutes get the tray out of the kit and lay out everything I'm going to need. It saves time. Scarlett, why don't you sit by Jax while I'm doing this."

Scarlett sat down and spoke softly to Jax, soothing him.

"Almost ready," Tara said putting a disposable surgical gown on. She went into the bathroom to wash her hands. She returned and put a paper surgical mask over her face. Scarlett put on gloves and helped Tara put on the heavier surgeon's gloves.

"All doctors carry such a huge trunk of stuff?" Jax asked.

"No, it's an emergency preparedness deal for the hospital. They got a grant so all surgeons got a trunk of stuff. Never thought I'd really use it."

Tara removed the sheet. Jax was naked from the waist down since Chibs had cut his jeans off. She draped off all the areas with disposable sheets so only his left butt cheek and upper left thigh were exposed.

"Did Chibs at least clean the area with alcohol?"

"I don't think so."

"It's going to burn a little, but I don't want to put another hole in you until everything is sterile."

Jax groaned.

"Now, the fun part," Tara said.

"There's a fun part?" Jax asked skeptically.

"Yeah, Juice, exactly where are your fingers?" Tara asked.

"Well, Chibs grabbed them and shoved them into the bullet holes."

"I know that. Where exactly did he shove your fingers?"

"In his ass," Juice said looking down.

"What?" Jax yelped in surprised. "I just felt pain. I didn't know where they were."

"Well, Chibs did it. It was less shoving them into Jax's ass and more ramming them up his ass. That's not gay though, right?"

Juice asked Tara. He hadn't made eye contact with Jax yet.

"Fuck me," Jax said. "I'm never going to live this down."

"How do you think I feel?" Juice demanded. "Why didn't Chibs use his own damned fingers?"

Scarlett and Tara exchanged looks.

"OK. I'm a doctor and a surgeon. This is the official medical opinion. If one guy shoves his fingers up another man's ass as a medical necessity to keep the guy from bleeding out, not gay. If it's for sexual pleasure, it's gay."

"That's still not going to stop you two from being the butt of many jokes," Scarlett said.

Scarlett and Tara giggled. Jax and Juice still couldn't make eye contact.

"

 _ **A/N During the regional charters meeting to talk about the Mayans and war, there will be a SHOCKING development that no one will see coming and I'm not overselling it.**_

 _ **Another Note: I usually try to base things I write on reality, but the medical stuff in this chapter is completely made up including first responder surgeons carrying a handy trunk of supplies. About the only thing that is correct is how dangerous illegal Oxy is because users don't know what they are getting.**_


	293. Chapter 293

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **293 Take Flight**_

"

The Salazar brothers may not have been "C" students much less high school graduates, but they knew how to stay alive.

The Calaveras Lodi plan failed and members were going to have to pay for that failure. It was Esai's plan and he was the one who should take the fall. Hector didn't think that Esai's father would kill his son and by his math he was the only other member of the CL still alive.

The next part was simple—he and his brother Juan needed to get the hell out of Cali. It was the fight or flight decision in its simplest form.

The Salazar brothers always picked flight and that was why they were on his uncle's fishing boat heading to Mexico.

Hector ran outside, leaned over the boat's railing and threw up. He was good at survival, but terrible on a boat. He consoled himself by promising that okone day he would return to Cali and take his revenge on SAMCRO.

Who knows? Maybe he'd even start his very own MC one day.


	294. Chapter 294

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **294 Advice Taken**_

"

Tara was enjoying the awkwardness between Jax and Juice. Juice was applying direct pressure to keep Jax from bleeding out. It was that simple, but Juice's biggest worry that where his fingers were might be gay.

"OK, let's get Juice's fingers out of Jax's ass," Tara said. She just couldn't stop a giggle from escaping as she said it.

"I'm glad I could provide some entertainment," Jax said drily.

"OK, here's the plan. Juice removes his fingers. I'll close off the bleeding with a couple of clamps. Scarlett, you give me those two things on the end on the tray. They will absorb the blood and then that," Tara said pointing to something that looked like a bunch of gauze. "The blood will get soaked up leaving me a dry area."

"Can I leave then?" Juice asked.

"Yeah, get cleaned up. Come back after five minutes. I want you to help hand me tools. I want Scarlett to sit by Jax and help him."

Tara could see that Scarlett was in a lot of pain from having to stand. She also knew her well enough to know that she would stand there and help no matter how bad her body hurt.

"OK, when I say now, Juice, free your fingers," Tara said holding a couple of surgical tools. "Now."

Juice removed his fingers and Tara expertly used the clamps to stop the bleeding. Next she used the tools Scarlett handed her to dry the area of blood.

"You did a great job, Juice. You helped save Jax's life."

"Thanks bro," Jax said to Juice.

Juice beamed, happy to have actually won someone's approval.

"Will I have to put my fingers back in Jax's ass?" Juice asked, suddenly worried about what helping Tara might involve.

"Not unless you two like that sort of thing," Tara said. "That's between you two."

Scarlett and Tara began giggling again.

"Glad I could provide some entertainment for you two," Jax said sourly.

Juice left.

"Do you think I could get something to drink?" Jax asked. "I'm really thirsty."

"It's from all the alcohol. Scarlett, could you get Jax some water with a straw?"

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes," Scarlett said removing her gloves.

Jax waited until Scarlett left.

"Tara, I really do appreciate this."

"You were an inch away from dying," Tara said. "An inch."

"I took your advice about Scarlett and the whole growing up thing. I went to talk to her, but she was still too mad to talk. I went home alone."

"You actually listened to me?" Tara looked surprised. "I'm shocked and amazed. You two seem OK now."

"We were going to talk and then I got shot. The only thing I could think about was seeing Scarlett again. We still need to talk, but getting shot and being near death really made me see what's important."

"You two just seem right together," Tara said.

Tara actually felt sorry for Scarlett. She wondered how she was going to cope with Jax's violent and dangerous world. She just knew that she was glad she was out of it. This was the last time she was getting involved in it.

 _ **Next: Gemma tries to stir up trouble.**_


	295. Chapter 295

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **295 Gemma Moves**_

"

Gemma and Tig had just returned from the drugstore. She'd headed for the room where Tara was treating Jax when she saw that the two of them were alone and speaking quietly.

She decided to find Scarlett and have a little fun with her. She was in the kitchen with Bobby. He was handing Scarlett a bottle of water from the refrigerator.

"Bobby, I want to talk to Scarlett for a minute."

"Thanks for the water," Scarlett said.

"Sure," Bobby said as he left.

"Do you have any straws? The water's for Jax and he can't really move his head to drink with Tara working on him."

Gemma opened a drawer where all the leftover stuff from fast food was kept. It was stuffed with straws, packets of ketchup and even a few mayo packets. She handed Scarlett a paper wrapped straw.

"How's Jax doing?"

"He seems better now that he isn't being carved into. Tara cleaned out his wounds, gave him IV antibiotics and she got the bleeding stopped. She's going to numb up his wounds, remove the bullets and stitch him closed."

Gemma shook her head.

"She actually knows what she's doing."

"She's a real surgeon not someone who spent two hours in a first aid course."

Gemma didn't like that. She wasn't going to put up with Scarlett getting snippy with her.

"You might want to watch out for Tara. I just saw Jax and Tara looking cozy."

Scarlett smiled at Gemma contemptuously.

"She's sewing his ass up. That's pretty intimate."

"Just a friendly warning. Tara and Jax were each other's first loves. You never get over that."

"There's also a reason that first loves don't last and that people grow up and move on."

"Don't buy that friendship bullshit. She will do anything to get him back. You think you and Jax are tight enough to withstand that?"

Gemma wanted to shake some of the blonde's confidence. She was angry that Jax had been carrying on with her and had never mentioned that it was a serious relationship. He should have talked to her first before deciding Scarlett was going to be his old lady.

"Gemma, I know what you're trying to do. You want to poison my friendship with Tara and weaken my relationship with Jax."

"I'm trying to help you," Gemma insisted.

"I don't need your help."

"I'm his mother. I will always have a say in his life."

"And as time goes on, your voice will get weaker and weaker until you're nothing more than background noise. We can get along or you can try to cause trouble. Understand that if you try to cause trouble, your relationship with Jax will suffer. It's in your best interests to get along with me."

Gemma was shocked at how this conversation was going. She was going to have fun with Scarlett by getting under her skin by using Tara. Suddenly, the bitch had turned the tables on her.

"Don't get too comfortable with Jax. He goes through girls like water," Gemma said.

Scarlett smiled.

"That's because he's never been with someone like me."

Scarlett turned, the water and straw in her left hand and left Gemma in the kitchen before she could come up with a snarky reply.


	296. Chapter 296

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **Chapter** _ **296 Past Imperfect**_

"

Inside Scarlett was a little shaky after the encounter with Gemma, but she wasn't going to let Gemma see that. She wasn't going to let Gemma ruin her friendship with Tara and her relationship with Jax.

Gemma was a sad, pathetic woman who feared that Jax would find love with a woman and she would have to share his heart. Her experience dealing with a murderous psycho ex-fiance would come in useful when dealing with Gemma.

"How are you doing?" Scarlett asked.

"Tara's saving my ass," Jax said with a grin.

Scarlett opened the bottle of water, unwrapped the straw, put it in the bottle and held it for Jax as he drank.

"Thanks," Jax said after he drank half the bottle of water.

"How do you feel?"

"Tara's much better at this than Chibs."

Tara was sewing closed the wound in Jax's left butt cheek where Chibs had cut out a bullet.

"That's because I numbed the area first. I can't imagine just cutting into someone. Scarlett, why don't you sit down? You can give him more water when he wants and I don't need you to hand me things now."

"Bobby was telling me how you threatened Chibs. Scared the hell out of him," Jax said to Scarlett.

"How did you do that?" Tara asked.

"I told him I'd shoot him."

"No, you left out the best part," Jax said. "Come on say it."

"I told him if he cut on Jax again, I'd take a bottle, break it off and shove the jagged end so far up his ass he'd be spitting glass."

Tara laughed.

"That's a good one. I'm going to remember that in case I need to use it."

"I wasn't really going to do the bottle thing."

"You would have done the gun thing?" Jax asked.

"Hell yes! I even have my gun with me. Chibs could have killed you."

"He probably would have killed you if he'd dug around on you again," Tara said.

Juice returned.

"Do you still need me?"

"Yes. Wash your hands and put on some gloves."

"I'm going to do what I did before," Tara said to Jax. "You'll feel a pinch and some burning as the lidocaine goes in. It will take a few injections. As I cut away tissue to get to the bullets, you shouldn't feel anything. If it hurts, tell me and I'll give you another injection."

"Do you remember the last time you were in the clubhouse?" Jax asked Tara.

"Oh, no," Tara said shaking head. "I'm still trying to forget that."

"Which one of you is going to tell me?"

"I was only there for the end. Come on Tara, tell her."

Tara focused on numbing the top of his thigh and butt with injections.

"When I was a teen, sometimes I was crazy. One of the guy's old wives had just opened her own porn studio. I kind of got obsessed with the idea the Jax was going to watch one of the movies being shot.

"There was this one bitch named Ima and she had been chasing Jax since high school. Ima had gone from street corner whore to porn star in just a few months. I had always been jealous of her. It was just one of those hate at first sight."

"I was never with Ima," Jax added.

"Chibs would sometimes say things in a joking way but I didn't always see the joke. He kept saying he and Jax were going to watch Ima filming. I may have been drinking and I may have smoked a little weed. I think that the damned weed was laced with PCP or something because I was absolutely sure that he was at the porn studio. I didn't know where it was so I came down to the clubhouse to find out where it was because I was going to catch him."

Tara handed Juice the used syringes and took the scalpel and began to slowly and methodically cut away tissue exploring for the bullets.

"Finish the story," Jax prompted.

"I was yelling and screaming. Did I mention I was drunk and high? Chibs wasn't there, so I took that as proof that Jax was at the porn studio. Of course that meant he was hooking up with Ima.

"I had a gun with me. It wasn't loaded. That was my only good choice. I was about ready to get it out of my bag and start waving it around when in he walks with a case of paper towels and toilet paper followed by Gemma. They had been on a Costco run. I was so embarrassed. Anyway, you can see why it was my last visit."

"You got another bullet out," Juice said clearly impressed with Tara's skill.

"There's still one more to get."

Scarlett was sitting next to Jax holding his hand and occasionally smoothing his hair back from his face.

"Jax's in pain," she said. "I think he needs another injection."

Tara studied Jax's face.

"I am just fine," Jax protested.

"Men," Tara said with a shake of her head. "Why can't they just admit they aren't superheroes?"

"Too many comic book movies," Scarlett replied.

"Hand me that syringe. I'm going to give Jax another injection. I'm going to have to cut deeper."

Tara worked quietly, making careful delicate cuts.

"That's it," she said holding up a bloody bullet. "All I have to do is stitch you up. How do you feel?"

"Like I'm going to live."

For the first time since she brought Tara into the clubhouse, Scarlett felt the tension in her body leave. She knew Tara could save Jax. She had a hard time watching the physical toll his injuries were taking on him.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Tara said as she finished stitching Jax's wounds closed. "Except for the fingers in the ass part."

"I am never going to live this down," Juice moaned. "Damn that Chibs."

"I'm alive," Jax said. "It's all good brother."

Scarlett and Tara laughed.

"

"

 _ **Author's Note: Just a chapter or two until the big surprise**_.


	297. Chapter 297

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 297 Unique Opportunity**_

"

Clay drummed his fingers on the table in the chapel. Marcus Alvarez had just called him wanting to meet. He claimed an error had been made and he needed to make that right with SAMCRO before the situation got out of hand and more blood was spilled.

He had never hesitated to go to war, but Jax was more conservative. Now that he'd been shot and near death, Jax might have a new perspective. He and Jax would meet with Alvarez a couple of hours before the Sons meeting.

Alvarez always sounded cool and in control, but in his call with Clay, Clay thought he detected some desperation in Alvarez's voice. He might be able to use this to SAMCRO's advantage, but after attempting to kill four members of his MC including him, Alvarez was going to have to come up with something big or the Sons would go to war against the Mayans.


	298. Chapter 298

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 298 Point Kiss**_

"

After Tara finished bandaging Jax's wounds, she promised to check in on him later that day. Sack gave her an escort home to make sure she didn't have any problems with her crazy stalker ex.

There was a brief discussion about whether or not Jax needed to stay at the clubhouse in lockdown with the MC, but Jax insisted he would be perfectly safe in Scarlett's motel room and it would be easier for her to care for him there. Sack also followed along to make sure Jax and Scarlett got back safely to her motel room.

Jax had changed into a pair of lightweight sweats he kept at the clubhouse. Tomorrow he would run by his house, change his clothes and pack a bag to take with him when they left for Scarlett's lake house after the Sons meeting.

Scarlett carefully shook out a variety of pills into one of her empty pill bottles and gave him a bottle of water.

"You need to take these," Scarlett said handing them to him.

"All of these?"

"Tara's instructions and you're a big guy. You need more."

"I'm not going to complain," Jax said. He knew Tara had risked her career to save him. Following her instructions and doing as Scarlett told him was the least he could do. It was all part of paying the price of getting shot and living.

"She just wants to make sure you don't get an infection."

Jax brushed his teeth with the spare toothbrush Scarlett kept for him in the bathroom and got into bed. By the time Scarlett showered, brushed teeth and got into bed, he was beginning to feel drowsy.

"You were amazing tonight," Jax said.

Scarlett has lying on her back with two pillows under her head. Jax was leaning over looking into her eyes.

"I think I may have made some enemies like Chibs."

"Tara said if he'd cut another inch, it would have killed me."

"I was so scared that he was going to kill you."

Scarlett stroked Jax's cheek with her fingertips.

"When he was cutting and it hurt, I'd look at you sitting in the chair and it was easier. Helped me yell less," he said with a grin.

"It killed me. I can't stand to see you getting hurt."

"I saw you brush the tears out of your eyes."

Jax gave her a soft tender whisper of a kiss on the lips.

"I love you, Scarlett."

"You're still not getting out of the fight," Scarlett said.

"Why would I want to do that? I'm looking forward to the making up after."

"The fight isn't going to go well for you," Scarlett warned.

"That's fine with me. I took two or three shots in the vest and three or four times in the butt and leg. I don't think the fight could be any worse than that unless you're planning on using the jagged end of a bottle on me."

Scarlett laughed.

"I don't think I'll ever live that down."

"That's a good thing. You were fighting for me and you were damned amazing doing it. I'm proud of you."

"They were talking about getting a medical assistant with two weeks training or someone who worked in a vet's office."

"The person who used to help us with off the books medical treatment is in prison for pretending to be a doctor."

"Really?"

Jax nodded and they laughed.

Jax pointed at his lips.

"What?" Scarlett asked.

"It means kiss."

Scarlett kissed him on the lips.

"You know this pointing and expecting me to kiss you is only going to last for so long."

"How long?"

"Until your stitches come out and then no more special treatment."

"For all your tough talk, you told me you loved me first. When did you finally figure that out?"

"I've been fighting hard to resist you, but when I saw how injured you were and I thought I could lose you, everything became clear."

"Tonight didn't scare you off?"

"It was pretty terrifying, but my life has its dangers."

"It might get a little worse," Jax said. His eyes closed and then he opened them. "I'm just so tired."

"Get some sleep. You need to heal."

As he drifted off to sleep, Jax was optimistic about his future with Scarlett. He wasn't sure how he was going to bring up the subject of her being his old lady, but when they were alone at her lake house, he would figure something out.


	299. Chapter 299

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 299 Uneasy Love**_

"

Scarlett watched Jax for a few minutes as he slept. She loved the sight of his blonde eyelashes resting against his cheek when his eyes were closed. She should be filled with the euphoria that new found love brings, but all she felt was fear.

Knowing the MC was violent and dangerous was a lot different than seeing the aftermath of that violence. She should have known better. Her mother had been a casualty of MC violence. This was why she and her father needed to destroy the Sons—to keep the violence from taking or destroying anymore innocent lives.

She wondered if there was any way that she could influence Jax to change the MC's violent path. It wouldn't be something she could do quickly. It would be slow work, but bringing down the Sons would also require slow work.

She was disappointed that she had fallen in love with Jax. She expected to be able to control her emotions like she did her hands. She could see now how foolish she was to think she could get close to Jax without falling in love with him.

Scarlett wanted to run away without Jax. Just go some place where she could figure out her life and what she was going to do. Instead, she and Jax were going away together and that was bound to lead to more mental confusion and potentially falling deeper in love with him.

Tara came by in the early afternoon. Jax had only been awake a few minutes. The drugs Scarlett had given him had really knocked him out just as she and Tara planned. Tara was worried that Jax wouldn't rest and he would rip open some of his internal stitches causing internal bleeding that could require him to go to the hospital.

She handed Scarlett a temperature taking device that is pointed at the forehead to take the temperature. Scarlett would need to monitor his temperature because that would signal an infection. So far, Jax's temperature was normal.

Tara was a doctor so treating Jax's wounds was routine. She'd also seen him naked many times when they were together. Jax had never experienced embarrassment in his life. Last night, Scarlett had been focused on Jax's life. Today, dealing with a butt and thigh wound was embarrassing to her.

He was only wearing a navy pair of boxer briefs and lying on his stomach. Tara had slipped them down on the left side to check his butt wound.

"See how clean the wound looks," Tara pointed out to Scarlett. "No puss or discharge, stitches neat and flat. These bandages are waterproof," Tara said pointing to a stack of bandages. Put them on his wounds before he showers."

"This is one of my fantasies come true. Two women staring at my bare ass."

"If you feel the need to hit him because he's being obnoxious, a nice slap to the back of the head doesn't leave a mark," Tara said.

Scarlett laughed. It was a ridiculous situation and some of the tension and embarrassment left her.

Tara pulled up his boxer briefs and then pushed up the leg to expose the bandage on the back of his upper thigh. She removed the bandage and carefully inspected the wound.

"That's healing well too," she said. "You have to stay vigilant though. Just the slightest odor and look could be a sign of infection. I pumped him full of antibiotics and the oral antibiotics will help too."

"How do you feel?" Scarlett asked.

"I feel good," Jax said.

Scarlett and Tara exchanged looks. He had been given a lot of painkillers last night too.

"You do know you can't ride your bike," Tara said.

"Yeah, I figured that out. How long do I have to wait?"

"At least until the stitches are out so five or six days. There are layers of stitches that will dissolve but those are the ones I'm worried about you pulling and causing internal bleeding."

"When are you leaving town?"

"As soon as the meeting's over. I'm not going to stay for the party."

"You think there's going to be a war?" Tara asked.

Scarlett looked surprised. She had no idea what was going on. Her mind had been so focused on Jax's wounds.

"What are you talking about?" Jax asked.

"Come on Jax. You got shot. The MC was on lockdown. I know all the signs. Scarlett gets an escort and I even got one to make sure I got home. There's a big meeting. All the signs are there."

Scarlett realized the signs were all there as Tara had pointed out, but she hadn't seen them because she didn't want to.

"I don't know. We're having a meeting before maybe we can find another way."

"I hope so. If any of the other guys get shot, don't come to me to fix them," Tara said. "I did this for you and because Scarlett asked. The other guys are on their own. I won't run the risk of losing my medical license and going to jail for any of the other MC guys."

"I understand and that's why I will be the model patient for you and Scarlett."

"Call me tonight and give me an update on Jax," Tara said.

"I will."

Tara left and Jax got up and redressed in his sweats. Sack was coming by to drive him to his house to pack and then to the meeting.

"What's going on? What is this about a war?"

Scarlett was about to get an even more eye opening MC experience.


	300. Chapter 300

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 300 Tara's Kohn War**_

"

Tara realized she'd put her foot in her mouth by mentioning the MC and war. She didn't want to cause any kind of rift between Jax and Scarlett. She thought Jax was keeping her better informed.

She remembered back when she was a naïve high school student who thought the MC was cool. They were white Knights on motorcycles righting wrongs and protecting the innocent. She'd even been proud to date the MC president's stepson. She'd stayed a believer until Jax became a prospect for the MC. It all went to hell then.

He shared some MC stuff with her and her eyes began to slowly open. The MC guys weren't the good guys rebelling against society. They rebelled against society but that had more to do with wanting to make a living by selling guns to drug dealers and other criminals than any lofty ideals.

Kohn wasn't sitting outside in his car, but it was only late afternoon. At least the car was gone. That was the part of last night that she enjoyed when Sack rammed the broom handle through his radiator. The look of outrage on Kohn's face was funny as hell.

If Kohn kept coming after her, there was a way she could stop him. SAMCRO needed a shot doc. She could trade her medical services for them killing Kohn. It wasn't like the MC hadn't killed for less and that included Jax.

Kohn was going to keep coming after her until he raped and killed her. She'd already gotten in deep with the MC when she saved Jax. Was it even possible for her to say no to the MC if they needed her again?

She had to weigh the risks to her career carefully. Losing her medical license and her freedom against losing her life. The answer seemed pretty clear to her now.

Kill Kohn and I'll be the MCs off the books doctor. Tara said the words aloud. They frightened her. Was she really that desperate?

If he parked outside her house again tonight, she would have her answer.


	301. Chapter 301

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 301 Paying the Price**_

"

Marcus Alvarez had just had the worst meeting of his life with the Sons. If he didn't have Nero, the national Mayans president, demanding that he avert a war with the Sons at whatever the cost, he would have left the meeting and the war would have been on.

He couldn't find Esai or Hector Salazar. It seemed that the Calaveras Lodi MC had dropped from sight. It was only a matter of time before they were located. They had to die. He had hoped that he could have saved Esai's life, but the Sons knew that Esai was involved. They saw him during the attack.

Four men with automatic weapons and they didn't manage to kill a single Son. How could Esai have done such a poor job? It might be for the best. Who knew what the Sons would have wanted if one of them had actually been killed.

Right now if the Sons accepted the terms, there would be a bounty of $10,000 on Esai's head and $5,000 on Hector's paid to any Son who killed either. If the Mayans killed them, there would be no bounty, but the Sons would require someone in the MC see the actual dead bodies.

The other terms of the deal were even worse. It had been a close vote during their meeting. There was a lot of suspicion that he was behind the attack on the Sons and used the CL to do it. He had heatedly denied the accusation. If he told the truth, there was a good chance he would have faced a leadership challenge.

He needed the Sons to approve the deal. His tenure as Mayans president depended on it.

"****************************************************"

"

Meanwhile, Esai was hiding in a grimy motel room on the outskirts of Oakland and planning to kill the Sons starting with either Jax or Clay.


	302. Chapter 302

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 302 Show of Force**_

"

Josh Kohn thought that parking outside Tara's house was working out great when she and the blonde girl he'd seen her with before were in her driveway and he thought the two women were going to kiss. He was really excited until some lunatic ran over and shoved a broom handle through his radiator a couple of times.

He wondered where Tara had to go that she needed to call in help to disable his car. The guy hadn't been wearing a cut but he was sure the guy had some kind of tie to the MC.

Having to call the rental car agency, getting picked up and getting another car had all been a nuisance. Nothing more. What really pissed him off was not knowing where Tara went.

The next afternoon, he went to the police station and chatted up David Hale to see if he could pick up any information on the Sons. He was surprisingly tight-lipped or maybe Hale didn't know anything.

Life was not like TV. This was the biggest thing wrong with it. Nothing ever got solved in sixty minutes or even over the span of a TV season. It was a lot of endless leads that turned to nothing.

No one wanted to talk to him and no one knew anything about the Sons. He had people look him in the eye and say they had no idea who Jax Teller was even when he showed them pictures of them with Jax Teller. He reminded them lying to a federal law enforcement officer was a crime. Some of them actually laughed in his face. There wasn't a lot of respect for the feds these days. Was he the only one who worshipped the ground James Comey walked on?

He and Hale were standing outside when they heard the roar of motorcycles. Bikers wearing SOA cuts flooded the street. He didn't know how many, but there must have been at least fifty maybe more.

"What the hell is going on?" Josh asked Hale.

"Definitely a show of force," Hale said.

"Who is the show for?" Josh demanded.

"The town and my guess is whoever is going to be the topic of this meeting."

"What do you think is going on?"

"I don't even want to guess," Hale said clearly worried.

Josh watched the motorcycle parade until the last bike went by before getting into his silver Chevy rental. He thought this might be a good night to stay in his motel room and do computer research on the Sons. Of course he wasn't scared. Teller wouldn't call in a bunch of bikers to deal with him. If they were plotting against the ATF, Teller might call in all the Sons.

Damn, he should have thought of a way to bug the meeting. At this rate, he would never shut the Sons down and his dream of walking Jax in handcuffs by Tara would stay a dream.

Tonight was going to be a Tara surveillance free night too. He didn't want to know what she was going to do tonight because he was afraid of the answer. He was afraid she was going to the clubhouse. Once a biker's slut, always a biker's slut.

He wondered if the blonde and Tara shared Teller in some twisted threesome or if Tara just screwed any biker. If she gave herself to every guy, why the hell didn't she give herself to him? They'd had sex a couple of times. Most of those times worked out except those three times when he wasn't able to stand to attention as he liked to put it. Damned black market Viagra.

He got back to his second floor motel room with some deli sandwiches, a six pack of diet Coke and a bag of chocolate chip cookies. He'd spend a nice evening with his food using his laptop to destroy the Sons.

Tonight was the night when he would make that breakthrough that would bring down the Sons. After all his fantasies about Tara and bringing down the Sons, he had one last fantasy starring James Comey. Comey would shake his hand and say he was proud of him. That wasn't as good as sex with Tara, but it was a close second


	303. Chapter 303

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 303 Scarlett's Dad Conversation**_

"

Scarlett used a burner phone when she called her father. It was just a normal security precaution against her ex. Her father was the only person she trusted completely and she wanted to talk to him about what had happened over the last day.

"Are you OK?" her father asked immediately. He knew his daughter so well he picked up on the slightest change in her voice.

"Barely. It's been rough."

"Did you and Jax have that talk about the acupuncture guy?"

"He got shot instead," Scarlett said.

"The acupuncture guy or Jax?"

"Jax. I didn't do it."

Her father chuckled.

"I didn't think you did. Is he going to be OK?"

"Yeah. I got Tara to save him."

"Wasn't he wearing his vest?"

"He was. I reminded him. If he hadn't had it on, he would have been killed. It was a meeting and some guys came in and shot him. They tried to kill all the guys that were with Jax but Jax was the only one hit."

Scarlett was sitting in her motel room with her back against the headboard. The TV was on but the volume was on mute.

"Do you want me to come to you?"

"No. I'll be OK. Jax and I are leaving after some MC meeting in a couple of hours. We'll stay at the lake house for a few days, so remember to let me know if you're going to visit."

"You aren't going to let him off the hook over the acupuncture guy?"

"No. I told him that we need to have that fight."

"You might want to change your approach. Take a softer tone. Tell him why his jealousy scares you and why you can't have him act that way around you."

Her ex had been intensely jealous. For awhile it made her feel loved and then it terrified her.

"That's a good idea. I just don't understand how he could think I would be with another man."

"Men don't always think with their brains. Sometimes hormones take over. He needs to learn to control that. He's a smart guy. He'll understand."

"Tara said he was never jealous with her."

"Find out why he is with you then. I think you can work this out provided there's no more repeat of this violent jealousy."

"He told me that he loves me."

"That's good because you love him."

"You aren't any fun, dad. You are supposed to be surprised that he told me."

"I've known that you two were falling for each other from the first time I met him. Any guy that goes and gets an automatic weapon when he thinks you are facing a hit team has some love for you. He could have abandoned you and saved his ass by swimming away."

Scarlett grinned when her father mentioned Jax saving his ass, but she didn't let him in on the joke. She wanted to keep some things to herself.

"Aren't you at least surprised I'm in love with him?"

"You've been in love with him. You just haven't been able to admit it. How did that happen, anyway?"

"I thought he might die."

"You really did have one hell of a night."

Scarlett and her father exchanged "I love yous" and she ended the call. Her father had hit on her greatest fear—that she was in for more nights of hell with Jax and the MC.

"

 _ **Next Up: The Sons talk war with the Mayans and the big surprise is just a couple of chapters away.**_


	304. Chapter 304

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 304 Sons Meeting Begins**_

"

The clubhouse was ready for the meeting. Gemma's crew of crow-eaters gave the place a thorough cleaning. Afterward, Juice did his own version of cleaning. He swept every inch of the clubhouse for electronic surveillance.

Phones would be handed over tagged with a number and a duplicate tag given to the phone's owner. Sack was in charge because as a prospect, he wouldn't be allowed inside the meeting. He would be at the door doing phone check. He even had shelves where he could neatly store the phones. It was important that the brothers not have to wait for him to dig through phones to find each one. That kind of screw up could even be big enough to keep him from getting patched.

There would only be full patched Sons allowed in the clubhouse during the meeting. Due to the large number of members at the meeting, it was going to be held in the main portion of the clubhouse. The table with the carved reaper had been carried out into the main area of the clubhouse. The small tables that had been in the clubhouse area had been folded up and stacked against a wall and all the chairs were arranged around the room randomly. This was an outlaw MC. They didn't arrange their chairs in neat rows. That was for PTA and City council meetings.

After the meeting with Alvarez, Scarlett had come by and given Jax his dose of medication. He wanted to complain about how ridiculous it was that he couldn't be trusted to give himself medication, but he kept silent. He was alive thanks to Tara and Scarlett and he'd promised to obey instructions and he kind of liked this caretaking side of Scarlett.

The medication really knocked him out. He'd been asleep in the apartment for a couple of hours when SAMCRO began greeting the members from the other charters.

In the outside area, two hang arounds were each tending a large square electric skillet with hot dogs wrapped in bacon cooking with fat slices of onions. Next to the cooks was a table of hot dog buns and bottles of mustard and ketchup.

The smell was irresistible. It wasn't long before all the men were eating a hot dog and holding an ice cold bottle of beer. There were also soft drinks, water and bottled tea available.

Gemma and the female friends of the club including crow-eaters had done their usual outstanding job of getting things ready for the big meeting. It was a major point of pride for Gemma and reflected well on Clay that his old lady could put together this nice spread.

Tonight after the meeting, that's when non members would be allowed in and the party would really pick up, but for now, there was serious business to discuss.

Jax joined them carefully using his crutches. If he were honest, he would admit that he needed them. His leg didn't hurt much thanks to the pain meds, but it was weak and he didn't want it to give out on him.

He sat at a table and Opie got him a hot dog and a beer. This was going to be his only drink of the night. He couldn't mix liquor and pain meds. Well, not a lot of liquor. One drink wouldn't kill him.

Clay had been watching the crowd and checking to make sure everyone was there before they opened up the clubhouse.

Sack immediately faced a nightmare trying to hand out numbers to a group of men who did not form orderly lines. They busted his balls, but he expected it. No one complained about handing over their phones. That had become standard for most chapters. They just all wanted instant service and Sack was a prospect so abusing him was practically required.

SAMCRO sat at the table in their usual positions with Clay at the head of the table, Jax on his left and Tig on his right. Opie, Juice, Bobby, Piney and Chibs were around the table. Kozik and Happy had been visiting, so they were also at the meeting. Jury and Needles were attending their first meeting with other charters since the Devil's Tribe was patched over in Indian Hills, Nevada.

The other chapters represented as far north as Washington and as far South as Arizona. The other Sons chapters too far away to be at the meeting had all expressed solidarity with their brothers and would support whatever decision was made at the meeting.

Clay opened the meeting by banging the gavel. For a group of outlaw bikers, they all followed rules of order. If they didn't, there would be anarchy and mayhem which was their general approach to life just not MC meetings.

The room instantly grew silently and Clay looked around the room pleased by the large turnout.

"Last night, me, Jax, Chibs and Tig were meeting with one of the Irish in a business meeting. In came four guys with guns and tried to kill us. Damned guys didn't hit any of us except Jax who took a couple of rounds in his Kevlar vest and badly sprained his ankle going after them."

Everyone chuckled at the poor marksmanship, but no one believed that Jax had really sprained his ankle. They all suspected he was covering up at least one bullet wound because they would have done the same thing. Bullet wounds could come under law enforcement eyes. Better to cover up by claiming another injury.

"Three of their guys didn't make it back," Jax said with a grin.

Everyone cheered.

Clay used the gavel to return the meeting to order.

"The guys are the Calaveras Lodi. There are two members still alive Esai Alvarez and Hector Salazar. They are a Mayan brother club."

"A Mayan patchover," Jax added stating the obvious.

"Not any more," Clay said. "Marcus Alvarez the Mayans Oakland chapter president met with me and Jax claiming the Calaveras Lodi's plan to end SAMCRO was unauthorized."

The room erupted in shouts of disbelief.

"Of course we didn't believe it," Jax said. "Do we want to go to war?"

There were enthusiastic shouts of "hell yes!". An attack on one was an attack on them all. The Mayans had tried to wipe out a Sons chapter. That retaliation needed to be extreme.

Clay waited for the room to calm down.

"Of course we know that Alvarez was behind the plan to wipe out SAMCRO. Hell, his kid was one of the shooters, but do we really want war?"

Happy shouted yes first. He could always be counted on as an enthusiastic killer.

"What if we could cripple the Mayans, spill their blood without spilling ours and force them to pay a high price without going to war?" Jax suggested.

"Alvarez will kill his own son. He and the Mayans will either kill Salazar and his son or pay us to do it. He'll put a bounty on their heads-$5,000 for Salazar and $10,000 for Esai. We'll send pictures to all interested Sons."

"That isn't enough," Jax said. "Two dead wannabe Mayans for trying to wipeout SAMCRO. Alvarez has said if he kills the two including his son, he will let SAMCRO verify the kills. That isn't good enough. Two to be killed for trying to wipeout SAMCRO. This sets a dangerous precedent."

"We have a source," Clay said. "Alvarez is under tremendous pressure to fix this and stop a war."

Clay couldn't tell his brothers that his source was Nero, the president of all the Mayan chapters. Nero had plans for the Mayans as an MC and he wasn't about to let Alvarez's blind ambition and stupidity stop him.

"If he wants to avoid a war, he better plan on making us one hell of an offer," Jax said.

Jax's words were met with cheers.

"Here's the offer," Clay said.

He lit up a cigar. Now was the time to sell the offer.

 _ **No surprise in this chapter, but it's almost here—within the next three chapters.**_


	305. Chapter 305

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 305 Scarlett Talks Kohn**_

"

While the men were having their MC meeting, Scarlett and Tara had gone to a diner and gotten cheeseburgers and were sharing a large order of fries on a plate placed between them.

"This fry sauce is amazing," Scarlett said. "It's got to be more than ketchup with a bit of mustard."

"Every time I come here, I try to figure it out. It's a diner secret. SAMCRO and the Sons aren't the only ones with secrets," Tara said.

"I'm guessing there's less violence here."

"How are _you_ doing?"

"I knew that it was violent," Scarlett admitted, "I just didn't think I would see it or I thought maybe it wouldn't happen."

"That's how I thought too. Have you had a chance to talk to Jax?"

"No. He was asleep and then he had a meeting with Clay. When he got back, I went by the MC and gave him some medication and he had a nap."

"You drugged him with sleeping pills?"

"Just like you told me," Scarlett said. "We both know he won't slow down and he won't heal properly without some intervention. He'll wake up in time for his meeting."

"That's why I trust you to care for him. You get it. Gemma wouldn't follow my directions because they are my directions."

"Gemma and I had some problems at the MC. She told me you wouldn't come."

"She wouldn't have a son if I hadn't."

"She tried to stir up trouble with me last night. Told me you and Jax were talking intimately and you were each other's first loves. I told her she was just trying to poison my friendship with you and hurt my relationship with Jax. I'm not going to let her inside."

"I made the mistake of trying to get her to like me. She used that to spread poison. Telling me things for my own good. Of course they were always painful jabs at me. If she got hit by a car in front of me, I'd just step over her. Screw my medical oath."

Scarlett laughed.

"And I'm the one behind the wheel," Scarlett added joking.

"Did you get contacted by the cops over the radiator thing with Josh Kohn, my crazy ex stalker?"

Scarlett shook her head.

"What about you?"

"No. I couldn't tell them anything because I didn't see anyone do anything."

"You mean something happened?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do about him. I thought I would wear a wire and get him to say incriminating things. Get him to admit that he was trying to get me to agree to be with him in exchange for dropping any ATF investigation into the Sons."

This was new to Scarlett, but she took the information in stride.

"He thinks you'll do this to protect Jax?"

"Yeah. I told him that Jax and I aren't together. He's seen Jax with you. Is he from the local ATF office?"

"No, he's from Chicago. That's where I met him."

"It's fake. There's no way he just happens to get this assignment. Aren't they supposed to recuse themselves if they have a conflict?"

"He's not an honorable person."

"Tara, you need to go to David and have him check with the ATF. Tell him about the stalking and how he is trying to extort you into having a relationship."

"I had trouble getting anyone interested when things turned violent in Chicago."

"This is Charming. David Hale will help. He's a good guy. Josh Kohn is doing shady things. I will do it if you want. It's just if there's an ATF connection, it's going to look like I'm just doing it for Jax."

"I could give it a try with Hale. If that doesn't work, I'll do the wire thing."

"I'll help any way I can. We'll figure something out."

"Thanks, Scarlett," Tara said. "I don't feel so alone."

Tara still didn't know what she was going to do. She would love to be fearless, get Josh saying incriminating things and watch him get arrested. This wasn't her angry fantasies now though. Even if she executed her plan, he'd get out on bail, come after her and kill her. Maybe he'd have to wear an ankle monitor which he would remove and by the time anyone noticed, he would have killed her.

It would be so much more effective if SAMCRO killed him and she would give them future medical services. She had a feeling she was going to get sucked back in to taking care of them anyway.

Maybe she should talk to Hale first. She told Scarlett that's what she was going to do and she felt like it would be a betrayal if she went to the MC first. Whatever she did, she would have to do something soon. Things were just going to keep escalating until one of them was dead.

 _ **Chapter after the next one will have the surprise.**_


	306. Chapter 306

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 306 War is just a Hobby**_

"

Jax was pleased with the way the meeting was going. He reached up and scratched his head. There was a single braid tucked away under his hair so it would be unseen. He knew the braid was Scarlett's way of letting him know she was with him. She had become the center of his heart and he was good with that.

This was one of the rare times when he and Clay were in perfect sync playing off each other exactly as they planned. They agreed the peace plan was too good to pass up. Sometimes war was the best choice, but sometimes there were other ways to hurt their enemies and take revenge besides spilling their blood.

"He needs to send a message to any brother club that an attack on the Sons will be meant with swift death. He wipes out the Calaveras Lodi or we do. The president of the national chapter Nero Padillo will make sure every Mayan charter understands that any dead Son at the hands of a Mayan will be punished by death from the Mayans," Clay said. "Padillo personally assured me that he's all about peace."

"That shows a true commitment to peace," Jax added, "but it's still not enough."

"I told Alvarez that," Clay said puffing out his chest a little as he drew a deep lungful of cigar. "We've all been having problems getting all the Irish whiskey we need. It turns out that the Mayans have a source nearby. They will deliver orders to us and it's a cheaper product that is comparable. Jax and I checked out the stock and spoke with the supplier."

"What about the Irish?" Chibs asked.

"We can still buy from them when they have stock or wait until they have stock. They've been raising prices in addition to having stock shortages. For them it's a crusade. For us it's a business," Jax said. "This is an alternative not an exclusive source. You are perfectly free to buy products or not."

Clay had the Irish relationships and if the Irish lost Sons business, it could cause some problems. That was going to be Clay's area. All he could see was dollar signs when Alvarez finally offered up a new gun pipeline. He'd sell the Irish out in a heartbeat.

Clay's hands were going and if he wanted to retire with the amount of money it was going to take to support Gemma, he needed an exit strategy that would let him earn big over the next year or two that he had left. This Mayan gun pipeline could not have come at a better time.

"There's another big incentive," Clay said. "Whether or not charters buy from the new supplier, if we agree not to kill any Mayans and the only two bodies we drop are the two Calaveras Lodi, they will not sell whiskey where our charters sell whiskey. They are moving out of that business."

This was good news that was greeted by stunned silence. Most of the charters sold guns. Losing a competitor would put more money in their pockets. This was a great deal _if_ real.

"For all their trouble the Mayans wanted 30% over cost," Clay said.

"That's too high," Jax said.

The room erupted in shouts of agreement.

"I negotiated the agreement to 5% over cost the first year. In a year if they don't kill a Son, that will go to 7.5% and stay there if things are going well," Clay said.

"What are we going to get if we go to war?" Jax asked. "We'll spill some Mayan blood. How many do we kill? How many is enough?"

Happy was counting on this fingers taking Jax's question seriously. He finally gave up.

"How about until we feel good?" Happy suggested.

"And how many will we lose? How many old ladies are going to be raising _your_ kids with another old man? We hurt the Mayans entire charter when they become our delivery service. We have this fuck up by Alvarez and all the Mayan charters will pay and we all will profit," Jax said.

"What if Alvarez goes back on the deal or if this is temporary?" Bobby asked.

"It's been approved by the Mayans. They know we are stronger, tougher and outnumber them. In a war, we would destroy them. Our strength and reputation are making the Mayans give up without a fight," Clay said.

"And that's a prize we've earned through all the blood we've spilled over the life of this MC," Jax added.

Everyone cheered realizing the truth in both Clay and Jax's words.

"What if a Son kills a Mayan?" Happy asked.

"Why would that happen?" Clay asked.

Happy shrugged.

"Shit happens," he said.

Some of the men laughed thinking it was a joke. Those that knew Happy, knew it wasn't a joke.

"Be more careful brother," Jax warned with an edge in his voice. "This is the wrong time to be careless."

"This will bring in a new era of peace and prosperity and we owe it to the stupidity and poor negotiating of the Mayans. I move we approve this peace deal with the Mayans," Clay said.

"I second it," Jax replied.

"Yea."

All of them with one exception shouted "Yea," loudly with enthusiasm.

Clay slammed the gavel down on the best SOA meeting in the MC's history.

"I'll call Alvarez and Padillo. They are waiting for our vote."

Happy could not bring himself to vote for a peace treaty. It was philosophical. Peace was always wrong in his book. He made a mental note "no more killing Mayans until further notice". He was not happy about this, but he was a soldier and he would follow orders.

He remembered that there was a bounty on the two Calaveras Lodi pieces of shit that tried to kill his brothers. He needed to get those pics sent to his phone ASAP! He was going hunting soon. Yes!

 **"**

 _ **The Next Chapter has the SURPRISE!**_


	307. Chapter 307

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 307 The World Through My Mirror**_

"

She looked around the room at all the men who were her brothers. She wondered what would happen if she stood up and revealed that she was really a sister. Would they suddenly see her as she saw herself a beautiful woman?

Jax could save her. If he fell in love with her, if he could see her as she saw herself in the mirror then the world would sync up and see her as she really looked.

All she needed was Jax to fall in love with her. Life would be perfect then. She wouldn't have to kill anyone ever again to feel better.

"

"

 _ **Author's Note: This story isn't about a transgendered woman. This is a story about a man who is deeply mentally ill.**_

 _ **Body dysmorphic disorder is an mental condition when the person doesn't see themselves as they are. It's the anorexic person that is a skeleton and is days from death refusing to eat because they see themselves as fat or the person who has had plastic surgery and keeps getting more and more unable to see their beauty. That's kind of what is happening here only a much more extreme case that goes off the charts into insanity.**_

 _ **She doesn't understand why people don't see her as she sees herself in the mirror. She thinks there's something wrong with everyone. Of course this doesn't make sense and that's why it's mental illness.**_

 _ **People who are severely mentally ill do not think logically or they wouldn't be mentally ill. There was a serial killer in New York nicknamed Son of Sam. He took orders from his neighbor's dog. Dogs don't talk or use telepathy, yet this guy killed on the orders from the dog. A normal person would know a dog can't give orders or at least refuse to take orders from a dog.**_

 _ **She should know that she isn't a woman because she isn't wearing women's clothes or has breasts and female body parts. This is critical thinking that requires logic and sanity. It gets back to the person looking into a mirror and seeing a Disney princess where there is a really a man.**_

 _ **This person also has magical thinking believing that Jax's love will transform the world and make everyone's vision of her match hers. It makes no sense and that's why it's mental illness. This person is insane.**_

 _ **It also makes her highly dangerous because no one can reason with her.**_

 _ **"**_

 **Next Chapter Jax Gets a Surprise in Bed from Scarlett.**


	308. Chapter 308

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 308 Scarlett's Bedroom Surprise**_

"

This was one of finest hours of the SOA MC. Jax wanted to celebrate for awhile with the MC before calling Scarlett to pick him up. They all raised a beer in a toast to the future and the peace agreement with the Mayans. Both Jax and Clay were basking in all the praise for their tough negotiations with the Mayans. They had played off each other expertly to manipulate Alvarez so SAMCRO squeezed all they could out of him as punishment for his plan to wipe out SAMCRO.

In MC culture an attack on one is an attack on them all. Alvarez's plan was ill conceived from the start. If he'd wiped out SAMCRO, he would have had one hell of a war with the Sons on his hands. In that sense he'd gotten off easily. His charter was paying a high price, but he would have been in hot water with the all the Mayan chapters if his plan had succeeded and he ignited a MC wide war.

Jax called Scarlett to pick him up after about an hour when they opened the clubhouse. That meant lots of girls and it would turn into an amped up Friday night style party/orgy. The poor prospect would be cleaning up a lot of vomit.

He was using the crutches and keeping the weight off his left foot when Jury caught up with him.

"You leaving?" Jury asked.

"Yeah."

"I'll walk out with you," he said getting the door for Jax.

They walked to the street together.

"How's that ankle?"

"I think my ankle will have a quick recovery," Jax said.

"I got shot a couple of times in 'Nam. Had to rest a lot."

"Glad I only have an ankle injury."

"Your father would have been proud to see what you've done for the Sons by this peace deal with the Mayans."

"Thanks, Jury," he said.

The two men hugged carefully adjusting the hug for Jax's crutches.

Scarlett drove around the corner catching Jury's attention immediately for the car and then for her.

"My old lady," Jax said as Scarlett stopped the car.

"It's good to be Jax Teller," Jury said.

"Damned right," Jax replied with a grin.

Jax discovered just how hard it was to get into the low slung Corvette. He'd seen Scarlett struggle, but he had a new appreciation for how difficult it was getting in and out of the car especially with crutches.

She waited until he had fastened his seat belt before pulling into traffic.

"How are you feeling?" she asked looking while waiting for the traffic light.

"I'm starting to feel like I've been shot."

"It's time for more pain meds," Scarlett said. "There are two pills in the pill bottle in the cup holder next to my iced tea. You can have some of my tea to swallow them or we can hit the drive thru and get a drink if you want something."

"No, I don't mind sharing your drink."

Jax took the pills and swallowed them down with some of Scarlett's iced tea. For having lived in Texas, he was surprised that she didn't drink sweet tea. It was the drink of the South.

He pointed to his cheek.

"Have you forgotten already?"

She kissed his cheek.

"You know that this ends when you get your stitches out? There are also some body parts that the pointing and expecting a kiss won't work for."

Jax laughed. He could always count on Scarlett to come up with some comment he hadn't expected.

"Want to be specific?"

"The point and kiss only works on the face."

He grinned and pointed at his lips at the next light.

"You know I kind of missed you," he confessed.

"Kind of? That means a lot."

"Normally when I'm with the MC, that's my focus."

"And you thought about me a little?"

"Maybe more than a little."

"You just talked yourself out of trouble."

"Are you going to be OK to drive?"

"Driving around town is hard because it's moving a lot from the gas and brake. That's what's hard for me and having to hold the brake pedal down at lights. The drive is almost all freeways and at this time of day, there shouldn't be much traffic. When we get to the house, I'm going to take a hot shower, take my medication and go to sleep. I'll change your dressing and give you your medication before."

Jax fell asleep a short time later. He couldn't believe that pain meds didn't make Scarlett at least a little sleepy. She told him without sleeping pills, she would be up all night without being at all sleepy.

When Jax heard the garage door go up, he woke up.

"I can't believe I slept the whole way."

"I think part of your reaction is your body recovering from getting shot. I can't carry your bag. Can you use carry it cross body style?"

"That won't be a problem."

Jax got the bag in managing his crutches carefully. Scarlett left some DVDs on the bed for Jax to choose from while she took a long shower to help relax the muscles in her back.

This was the first time Scarlett had had to deal with Jax's gunshots without Tara being present to help her out. She wasn't worried about just changing the bandages it was the nudity and being alone with Jax. She was shy.

Jax began to strip for his shower. He was wearing baggy boxers so the fabric didn't rub against his stitches. Scarlett laid out the bandages, pushed up the leg of the boxer's to remove his bandage.

"Looks good. Clean. No signs of infection."

She put on the waterproof bandage carefully to make sure the edges were all tight against his skin.

The next was the one she dreaded—the one in the middle of his left butt cheek.

"Why did you have to get shot here?" Scarlett moaned, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"I would have preferred not getting shot at all."

"That too, but why here?"

"Most girls wouldn't mind seeing my ass."

"You can have one of them take your stitches out with their teeth or raffle off the honor."

"Funny," Jax said and then pointed to his lips.

She kissed him before carefully moving his boxers down to the middle of his left butt cheek to the wound. She looked carefully at the stitches. No pus or discharge. She applied the new bandage.

"This is healing well. You were so lucky Tara got to you and got antibiotics into you."

"I was damned lucky to have both of you saving my ass last night."

Jax took his shower and realized that he may have overdone the activities that day, but he didn't have a choice. Tomorrow, he and Scarlett can stay in and watch movies or DVDs or make out if they can figure out pain free positions. There would definitely be no swimming until he got his stitches out.

Scarlett was propped up in bed watching a DVD. She looked so beautiful in her crimson sleeping attire.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

"Stiff. I'll take an extra muscle relaxer and a painkiller tonight. I'm taking my meds and I'm setting the timer on my phone for thirty minutes and I'll take my sleeping pills and set it for another hour so I can give you your meds. You need another round of pain meds and I'll set my phone to wake me up."

"You don't need to do all that."

"Doctor's orders."

"I want to tell you about the meeting at the clubhouse. It involved dealing with the attempt on our lives last night."

Scarlett stopped the DVD to give Jax her full attention.

"OK."

"Clay and I met with the Mayans charter headed by Marcus Alvarez. That's the charter that tried to kill us. Their national president found out what happened and was desperate to avoid a war. We reached a deal to avoid a war. There are still two guys that were part of the actual crew behind the attempt. Both Mayans and Sons are looking for them and they will be permanently dealt with."

"So less future violence?"

"Yeah. Neither club will go after the other and the local charter is paying a huge financial penalty. We got about everything we wanted in a war without risking or getting any of our guys killed."

"That makes me so happy."

"Yeah, we have a good chance at a peace with one of our biggest rivals."

Scarlett pointed at her lips.

Jax grinned and kissed her.

They took their medications and the next thing Jax knew he woke up with something wrong with his left wrist. He tried to move it. It wouldn't move. He opened his eyes and saw that his wrist had been zip-tied to the headboard. That wasn't all. There was large metal bowl on the bed.

The bowl contained a candy bar, a bottle of water and a note. She told him in her note that she'd gone for supplies and wanted to make sure he behaved. He was responsible for anything put into the bowl. There was also a semi-automatic hand gun with a round in the chamber and an extra clip under her pillow. She would be back by 11:30 am.

Jax grinned shaking his head. Only Scarlett would zip tie a guy to a bed and leave him a gun. 


	309. Chapter 309

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 309 Why Not Me?**_

"

She walked to the convenience store to get a candy bar and a cold bottle of lemonade. Louise was there. She shouldn't be there. Louise was supposed to be working that night. She was going to kill Louise when she finished her shift. Once more her plan was thwarted by another schedule change. It was past time for Louise to die. Just more waiting.

Last night at the MC meeting, she'd been so proud of Jax and how he had fought so hard to get the best peace deal possible from the Mayans. He should have spent the rest of the night with the Sons celebrating, but he had gone off with the blonde whore.

Once she killed Louise, she would give some thought to killing Scarlett. Jax would need someone to comfort him. Maybe that was the way to Jax's heart—killing Scarlett.

First though, Louise had to die! She was overdue for death.


	310. Chapter 310

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 310 Cut Ties**_

"

Scarlett turned off the alarm and entered the house from the garage. She cradled a bag of gyro sandwiches with two Greek side salads to her chest to keep from pulling the muscles in her back. She left the bag in the kitchen and tiptoed to the bedroom door with scissors. She was hoping Jax was still asleep. He would never have to know she'd zip tied him to the bed while she'd gone out. She peeked. He was awake.

"You're awake."

"And tied up," he added drily.

"Are you mad at me?"

He shook his head.

"I'm still thankful to you for helping save my life. You've also been taking care of me. I'm not going to get mad over something that isn't that big a deal. Besides, I've always wanted a woman to tie me up."

"Good," she said relieved. She carefully cut his wrist free.

"When I imagined a woman tying me up, this wasn't what I had in mind."

"It was good for me," Scarlett said chuckling. "Really good."

"Do you want me to tell you what would be good for me?"

"Let me guess. Something with fewer clothes."

"You got it," he said flashing her the Jax Teller sex grin. "The bowl you left was funny as hell. You thought of everything including leaving me a gun."

"You never know when you are going to have to defend yourself."

"You are something else."

"Could you help me get the stuff from the car?"

Jax grabbed his crutches, stood up and followed her out to the car

"I got some prepared meals from this one place. I got meat loaf dinners with mashed potatoes and corn and ham dinners with green beans and scalloped potatoes. I also got some deli stuff for lunches."

"These aren't heavy. I can carry them in the bag and still use the crutches."

"Thanks."

Scarlett opened the door to the house for Jax. He carried the bag to the kitchen and put it in the refrigerator. She got them big glasses of iced tea and they ate lunch.

"After we finish eating, I'll give you your next dose of medication."

"Going to knock me out again?"

"You have a really intense reaction to the pain meds and muscle relaxers," Scarlett said lying.

Jax may have been made sleepy by the pain medication, but the sleeping pills that she dosed him with had more to do with his reaction.

When Tara wrote out prescriptions for medications she had included one for sleeping pills. She suspected that Jax would not sleep, rest and take it easy. The sleeping pills would force him to get the rest he needed to recover from his wounds.

Scarlett agreed with Tara's assessment and didn't have a problem drugging Jax so he would sleep most of the time. As he got better, she would reduce the amount of sleeping medication. Sometimes women just needed to be in charge.

"I'm going to take some medication too and have a long nap."

"You've gotten worse in the last two days."

Scarlett shrugged it off.

"With injuries you have setbacks. I'm stiffer so I'm just going to take some muscle relaxers and sleep."

Scarlett changed Jax's bandages again and checked for any signs of infections. His wounds were clean and she checked his temperature with the forehead gun that Tara had loaned her from her medical kit. His temperature was still normal.

"I'll call Tara tonight and tell her your ankle is healing well."

Jax changed into another pair of loose fitting lightweight sweats. He'd worn jeans yesterday because he had meetings, but he preferred wearing something that didn't put pressure on his stitches and rub against them.

He swallowed without comment the handful of pills Scarlett gave him. He was still taking antibiotics to guard against infection. She took her medication next.

"You want to make out while we wait for our drugs to knock us out."

"OK."

"Don't you have therapy this week?"

"I cancelled it."

Scarlett carefully laid down on the bed with Jax adapting his position to work with hers while being careful with his own injuries.

Jax was looking down at Scarlett propping himself on one arm.

"What did you think I was going to do that was so bad you had to tie me to the bed?"

"I didn't want to take a chance that you would do something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe jog on the deck or lift heavy things to keep your muscles."

Jax took Scarlett's hand and moved it so it was under his shirt.

"How are my muscles doing?" he asked his blue eyes shining with mischief. "Are any of them missing?"

His skin was warm and his muscles felt hard with ripples. Scarlett stroked them with her fingertips before she realized what she was doing and stopped. She tried to tug her hand free, but Jax kept his grip on her wrist.

"They seem fine," she whispered. "You can let my hand go now."

"I'm going to make you burn for me," Jax whispered softly.

Scarlett sucked in her breath.

"My back and your wounds . . ."

"Future. Just a little preview," Jax said releasing her hand.

It took a second or two before her breathing returned to normal. Before her heart could slow it's pace, Jax began kissing her.

"

 _ **Next Up: Future Chapters (not in any specific order)**_

 _ **Hale for the Rescue.**_

 _ **Jax and Scarlett have a soul to soul relationship talk. A big surprise chapter. Kohn's days could be numbered but is it death, leaving town or getting arrested?**_

 _ **One of the most hated series villains joins the story.**_


	311. Chapter 311

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 311 Hale for the Assist**_

"

Scarlett called shortly after she returned from work. Jax was doing well and there were no signs of infection. She heaved a sign of relief both for Jax and her professional career.

They shared a laugh over Scarlett keeping Jax drugged and sleeping. If Jax had stayed in Charming, he would probably have been out trying to ride his bike or doing something equally stupid. She knew Scarlett could be counted on to keep Jax in line and she'd given her the drugs she needed for the job.

Now that she wasn't in love with Jax anymore, she felt sorry for Scarlett. She hoped that was the last time Jax would get shot, but MC violence was always around the men of SAMCRO.

Teen aged Tara thought that made Jax hotter and more macho. Adult Tara saw the danger and the crime and feared it was only a matter of time before Jax either was killed or ended up in prison. She did not envy Scarlett the life of an MC old lady.

Tonight she was treating herself to a great dinner. She was going to make a ribeye steak, baked potato with sour cream and butter and a salad of heirloom tomatoes with a Dijon vinaigrette. She washed and pricked a potato with a fork and put it in a 500 degree oven. She sliced the tomatoes, made a quick vinaigrette and poured it over the tomatoes so they would absorb some of that flavor.

A shower relaxed her and she was looking forward to her decadent dinner and watching a couple of TV shows. Thanks to food shows, she knew how to cook a steak. She put her father's old cast iron pan on the stove, cranked up the gas to high and poured a little olive oil in the bottom.

While she waited for the pan to heat up, she put the tomatoes on a salad plate arranging them like she was in a cooking contest. She patted the steak dry and sprinkled it heavily with Kosher salt on both sides and put the steak in the pan. It sizzled.

She used a heavy saucepan to weigh the steak down and get a good full contact sear before flipping it and doing the same on the other side. Using the tongs, she checked for doneness. It should be a perfect rare. She put it on a plate and added the garlic compound butter she'd made last night.

She'd had a date with a neurosurgeon who took her to a fancy steakhouse. That was the night she discovered people put butter on steak and her neurosurgeon date was pompous, arrogant and boring. She forgot him but never forgot the extra deliciousness butter brought to steak.

While the steak rested, she got the baked potato out of the oven, banged it against the counter and cut it open. The banging move was also learned from TV cooking shows. It made the potato fluffy. Butter, sour cream and lots of salt and pepper made her baked potato perfect. She poured herself an iced tea and carried her food on a tray into the den to watch TV.

Her meal was perfect and the TV shows were great. It was a great night and she hadn't looked out the living room window once. She'd successfully fought temptation for as long as she could. There he was Joshy Kohn sitting outside her house. Thirty minutes later, he was still there. An hour later, he was still there.

Just having him sitting outside her house, raised her terror level. She wondered how long he was going to stay, but most of all, she wondered if he would wait until she was asleep, break into the house and rape or kill her.

She couldn't live like this. Her hands were shaking and she thought she was going to throw up. Kohn was mentally unhinged. She had to do something before he escalated and did rape or kill her.

She called Hale and after a lot of hesitation she asked him to come to her house because she needed him to see something. He agreed. She knew she could count on Hale for help, but it didn't make the asking any easier.

Hale pulled up twenty minutes later.

"Did you see the car parked outside?" she asked as soon as she opened the door to his knock.

He looked at the car.

"I see it now."

"That's Josh Kohn. He's stalking me," she said.

Hale turned around and walked out to the street and up to Josh Kohn's car, tapping on the window. They spoke for a few seconds and Kohn left.

Hale returned and she let him into the house.

"He said that he's surveilling you as part of some investigation into the Sons gun running."

Tara offered him coffee and a piece of carrot cake. He eagerly accepted her offer. He'd loved carrot cake back in high school. Judging by his enthusiasm over her offer, he still loved it. She made coffee and poured them each a cup.

"You aren't going to have cake?"

"I only finished eating dinner a little while ago. That guy. I dated him in Chicago. He got violent. I ended it and then the stalking began. I got a restraining order but I didn't know I had to go to court for a trial to make it stick."

"He's an ATF agent. He introduced himself and he's been around the station a couple of times. He's looking at the Sons said it's some special hush hush investigation."

"He told me that if I get back together with him, he'll drop the investigation. He's obsessed with me and he hates Jax. I may have told him too much about Jax. I didn't tell him anything about how the Sons make money because I don't know anything. When I came back t Charming, he thought I was coming back to get with Jax. I came back partly to get away from him."

"You and Jax aren't together."

"I told him that. He's seen him with Scarlett. I've told him that they are together. He still wants to destroy him. He's unstable. I don't think the ATF investigation is real. Why get someone from Chicago? It doesn't make sense."

"I thought it was strange, but it's the federal government."

"This isn't the first time he's parked outside my house."

"I didn't buy his surveillance story. You don't want the subject to know you're surveilling them."

"I think he's going to hurt me. He's just terrorizing me first."

"I'm going to do a police report on this. There needs to be some documentation. Two weeks ago, I went to a law enforcement seminar. I met someone from ATF there. Let me look into this. I'll find out if he's here on a legitimate investigation."

"I'm sorry to drag you into this mess. I didn't know what else to do."

"I'm glad you came to me. I'll call you tomorrow. If he comes back tonight, call me and let me know."

Tara gave Hale a hug and sent him off with two pieces of carrot cake. After she shut the door and locked it, she leaned against it and hoped that would be enough to get rid of Kohn.

Deep down inside, she couldn't shake the feeling that either he would kill her or she would have to kill him whether she did it herself or got someone to do it for her.


	312. Chapter 312

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 312 Clay Worries, Gemma Whines**_

"

Gemma put down the telephone at Teller-Morrow and turned to look at Clay.

"Can you believe what that little bitch said to me? She told me Jax was asleep. She wouldn't wake him up to talk to me."

Clay shook his head with disgust. Sometimes he was tired of Gemma and her obsession with her son and this was one of those days.

"He was asleep and she didn't want to wake him. What's the problem?"

"I'm his mother and she should let me talk to him whenever I want."

"One of these days, you'll push him away for good with all your smothering."

"Ha ha! Very funny. I should have been the one taking care of him. I'm his mother. It's my place."

"She's his old lady. It's her place to take care of him. It's your job to take care of me."

Gemma opened her mouth and spoke words, but he wasn't hearing them anymore. He had real problems. Bucky Jeffers problems. He'd been in a physical rehab center getting physical therapy for his busted arm and leg from when the city's street sweeper.

If Bucky didn't have a fatal accident, he could end up a very rich man after the lawsuit against the city and the street sweeper manufacturer. The promise of a big fat settlement was enough to get him the best medical care. He'd even gotten new dentures to replace his prison issued ones.

Bucky was getting out in two weeks. He had to figure something out. No one could ever find out about Texas and how he'd killed Eden. As he knew only too well, there is no statue of limitations for murder.


	313. Chapter 313

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 313 Facing Death**_

"

Jax woke up slowly. No Scarlett in bed with him and this time he wasn't zip tied. When things turned more intimate together, they would definitely have to try out the zip ties. He would mind at all letting her tie him up.

Scarlett was doing an amazing job taking care of him. He saw that her body was stiffer and he knew that standing up and helping Tara with him and driving last night had caused that. She wouldn't admit that was the reason.

She'd been amazing Sunday night. He saw how upset she was that he was in pain. If she hadn't gone to get Tara, he didn't know what would have happened. Chibs was in over his head. If they had taken him to an ER when he'd first been hit, they could have claimed that it was a drive by. Once Chibs dug in, it made it more problematic to pass it off as something other than MC violence and a botched attempt to remove the bullets to avoid law enforcement attention.

Chibs told her how fierce she'd been when she threatened to break a bottle and jam the jagged end so far up his ass he'd be splitting glass. He laughed to himself remembering. She told him if there wasn't a bottle, she'd shoot him. She always carried a gun unless they were together. Chibs added that he believed her threat. Jax did too.

He didn't know who would have gone to Tara for help if Scarlett hadn't done it. Gemma hated Tara so much, she wouldn't have gone to her for help, but then, Gemma didn't realize how close he'd been to death.

Scarlett was so embarrassed when she had to check his bandages. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen a girl blush. He liked that innocent quality that she had and the fact that hadn't been with many guys. Tara was the last girl that he'd been with that didn't sleep around.

When he was in love with Tara, it was more of a friend love. They turned to each other to get through their difficult teen years. It turned sexual because they were teens. It had never felt right to him. It wasn't the sex, it was more he didn't have that passion that he expected to feel. Maybe that's what happens sometimes when you take a friendship to the next level; you discover that it is just a strong friendship.

With Scarlett it was more passion. Being with her made him feel alive in a way he'd never felt before. He knew he was falling in love with her, but when he got shot and all he wanted was to see her one more time, he knew he was in love with her. It never even occurred to him that she wouldn't come.

The best part of the night was when she whispered that she loved him and told him not to die. He would never forget that moment. He didn't know that she was leaving to get Tara to help. He wasn't sure what he would have done. Smart Scarlett made the decision for him.

Getting shot turned out not to be so bad. He'd gotten Scarlett to tell him that she loved him and she'd even said it first. She fought to save his life and terrified most of his MC at the same time. SAMCRO and the rest of the Sons were going to make a ton of money from the Mayans peace deal. Jury was right. It was good to be Jax Teller.


	314. Chapter 314

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 314 Soul to Soul**_

"

Scarlett slept for a few hours and, thanks to her concoction, Jax slept for almost six hours straight. He'd lost a lot of blood and hadn't rested like he should on Monday. Today was really the first day of his recovery.

She'd checked his temperature with Tara's forehead gun style thermometer. It was 2/10 of a degree above normal. She thought it was a normal variation, but she would check it again in two hours.

He was catching on that she was drugging him. Tomorrow, she would start putting most of the sleeping meds in his food. He needed at least three more days of bed rest. He could walk around but he needed to rest most of the time. He had to take it easy until the stitches came out.

Scarlett spent the time while he was sleeping sitting outside on the deck reading and enjoying the last of the summer when she decided it was time to check Jax's temperature again. He was awake and sitting up.

"How do you feel?"

"Pretty good," he said.

Scarlett looked at him skeptically. She grabbed the forehead thermometer device and took a reading.

"It's like a radar gun for your temperature," Jax said.

"That's a good comparison. Your temperature is up 2/10 of a degree and this is the second time."

"I'm just naturally hot," Jax said with a grin.

"Conceited. I thought maybe _I_ was raising your temperature," Scarlett said tartly.

"OK. I'll agree with you. What time is it?"

"It's a little after 7. You hungry for dinner?"

"Yeah, I could eat."

"Ham or Meat loaf?"

"Ham."

"Good choice. It has a brown sugar Bourbon glaze. It's so good; they sell it for an ice cream topping only they add pecans. I got some for dessert. I was thinking warm brownies, vanilla ice cream with warm brown sugar Bourbon pecan topping."

"You are the woman of my dreams."

"All I have to do is feed you for that honor?"

"That is the true way to a man's heart."

"I feel so unappreciated," Scarlett complained. "What about all my nursing skills?"

"You wouldn't be giving me stuff to get me to sleep, would you?"

"Who me?" Scarlett asked.

She left the bedroom and went into the kitchen to heat up their dinners. They ate outside and then spent a few hours just relaxing on the deck. Occasionally, they would walk Jax on his crutches and Scarlett with her back injury.

After they each had a shower and she had changed his bandages, it was time for the long delayed fight. She was propped up in bed by pillows. Jax was sitting next to her.

"It's time we talked," she said.

Jax got out of bed coming to sit around on her side of the bed facing her, taking care not to put too much pressure on his stitches.

"I know I was wrong."

"You aren't skating out of this that easily."

"I didn't think so," Jax said.

"I just don't understand why. My dad told me that sometimes men's hormones get all worked up and they just react without thinking."

"I couldn't put it better myself."

"I need to know why."

"I was going to drop in on you when I saw that guy get out of his car. I saw you in the doorway of your room waiting for him. I thought maybe he was dropping something off to you. I circled the block. His car was still there. I circled the block and each time, I got angrier and angrier. By the time, I knocked on your door, all I wanted to do was pound him into paste."

"Did you really think that I would sleep with some guy after we agreed to be exclusive?"

He reached out and brushed his thumb across her face gently as he looked into her deep green eyes.

"I know that I'm lucky that you're with me. You are beautiful and sexy as hell with this mix of innocence. You're smart, funny and charming. Of course, I'm going to fight to keep you with me."

"If I didn't want to be with you, I wouldn't be with you. I don't think jealousy is romantic. I don't think jealousy shows love." Scarlett looked down at her hands and thought about the once big diamond she used to wear on her left hand. Her engagement ring had begun to feel like a symbol of her psycho ex's ownership.

"Your psycho ex was possessive," Jax guessed.

She nodded still staring at her hands.

"I don't think he even loved me. I was just something pretty he could have around like a painting. I never flirted or even remotely did something that could be interpreted as cheating, but he was always accusing me of things and going off on me. When you came to my room and began to punch Scott, I just had flashbacks to everything that I had been through with my ex. All I could think about was getting away from you. Pushing you away and never seeing you again or running away."

"For awhile, not long," Jax added quickly, "I blamed you for not immediately telling me who the guy was. I didn't even give you a chance to do that before I started punching on the guy. It didn't help that you were half undressed."

"He put needles in my low back. I needed to pull my shorts down a little for that. He's not some guy off the street. He has training and he's licensed."

"I should have trusted you. I should have realized that there was an explanation. It's like your father said. My hormones got the best of me and I didn't think; I just reacted. I've never felt jealousy before."

"Don't feel it again. I'll never cheat on you. I'd break up with you first."

"I would never cheat on you either."

"Jax, if you ever cheat on me, consider us broken up. No second chances. No tearful reconciliations. I am not going to fight for my relationship with you because I shouldn't have to. We should be together because we love and trust each other. If you would rather be with someone else, go, but you'll never get back with me though."

"How could I ever want another woman? I don't think I can even completely handle you," he said with a smile.

"That's the right attitude. There's another thing. Your mother was trying to stir up trouble between us. She told me that you and Tara were talking intimately while I was getting you water. Something about first love."

"I'll talk to her."

"You don't need to. I told her I knew she was trying to poison my friendship with Tara and hurt my relationship with you. I also told her that if she didn't want her relationship with you to suffer, she should find a way to get along with me."

Jax laughed.

"That's telling her."

"I meant it. If she tries to interfere or spread poison, you have to punish her by seeing her less or she will never learn."

"I like that. Punishing Gemma for bad behavior. That might work."

"It will as long as we keep her out of our relationship."

"Gemma was always stirring shit up with Tara. I should have done more to help her with Gemma."

"One last thing. You hurt me so deeply when you punched Scott. I told you that I hadn't been with anyone in over three years. How could you think that I had some guy in my room for sex? Did you think I was lying to you? How could you believe I would lie to you about something like that?"

Scarlett's eyes were full of tears as she remembered how she'd felt when he stormed into her room.


	315. Chapter 315

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 315 Gutted**_

"

Jax could take Scarlett screaming and shouting at him. He couldn't take her looking at him with her green eyes filled with tears and pain and knowing that he'd caused them by his stupid jealousy.

"When I was riding around in circles, my head was sort of spinning in circles too. I wondered if you could have been playing me. If I'd listened to my brain or my feelings, I'd have known that there was something going on that I wasn't seeing. There was some logical explanation for what I was seeing that didn't involve you sleeping with the guy I saw go to your motel room. I should have had faith in you, but the thought of you with another man drove me crazy."

"You thought I could be playing you? Why would I do that?"

"Scarlett when it comes to you, I don't always think logically. I just reacted. You're different from any girl I've ever met."

Jax wasn't about to tell her that the Jax Teller swagger was a little less with her and, for the first time, he felt lucky to be with a woman because he knew that just about any man would want to be with her.

It wasn't just her beauty. She was smart and funny and he loved to spend time with her even though he knew it wasn't going to lead to sex. He was actually growing up. This was his first mature relationship.

"Do you remember the night you came to my room and you gave me the reacher? You wanted to just hang out for awhile and I could sense that something awful was going on with you. I told you that you could stay with me that night. I was putting a lot of trust in you. I don't have sex casually, but I don't allow men to just share my bed without sex either.

"When I sleep I'm at my most vulnerable," Scarlett continued. "I trusted you to not force me to have sex with you while I was asleep. I trusted you not to hurt me while I was asleep. You can't even trust me not to have sex with a guy after I told you that I hadn't been with a guy in more than three years. We had just agreed to be exclusive too."

Jax was now encountering the problem with being with a smart woman. Scarlett's clever mind continued to make her point that she had trusted him and he had failed to trust her. Worse, she was right. She had demonstrated that she trusted him and he had nearly destroyed their relationship with his hormone fueled rage. He hadn't even considered that it was a trust issue.

"Scarlett, I didn't even think far enough about what I was doing. I see it now, but I didn't see it then. I should have had faith in you. You're right that you did show me trust when you let me stay the night with you, but with the girls I've been with in the past sharing a bed wasn't a big deal with them. I know you're different and I see now it was a big show of trust for you. I'm not perfect, but I want to be the right guy for you."

"I can't have you flipping out with jealousy and you have to trust me."

"It won't happen again."

"I would never cheat on you."

"I'll never cheat on you."

"Being in love with you scares me. Part of me wants to run before we get any closer."

"Run to me. I'll always keep you safe."

"I want to believe you," she said softly.

"You love me," Jax reminded her with a gentle smile.

"Already using that against me."

"I love you too," Jax said and pointing to his lips.

Scarlett motioned him to lean forward so she could kiss him.

"I hope we don't regret this," she whispered.

"Regret what?"

"Falling in love together."

Jax wasn't worried about regret. Now that they had closed the door on this fight, he saw nothing but happiness and eventually sex in their future.


	316. Chapter 316

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 316 Who to Kill?**_

"

Esai Alvarez had been working everyone of his contacts to get information about what was going on over his botched Sons hit. That was when he was forced to face a harsh reality; not only did his father want him dead for screwing up the hit on the Sons, he had put a bounty on his head that would be paid to any Son that killed him. The MC was a tough life and he understood that his failure came with a high penalty for failure but putting a bounty on his head was going to far.

For a few minutes, Esai thought about the family celebrations that he could no longer attend, no Thanksgiving, no Christmas, no birthdays, nothing. He'd not only lost his father's respect, he'd lost his whole family.

He fantasized about killing all the Sons and getting back in his father's favor. Could he really ever forgive his father for putting a bounty on his head though? He would never be able to trust his father again. Even if he managed to kill all the Sons, nothing would ever be good enough for Marcus Alvarez.

His relationship with his father wasn't a warm, loving father-son type relationship. He was harder on Esai than any of his other kinds. That was why he had started his own MC and didn't attempt to join the Mayans. He'd wanted to prove himself. He'd proved himself by falling on his face spectacularly.

Maybe he should just kill his father. Did he really have anything to lose? He'd already lost his family. He'd lost any chance of getting into the Mayans. And why shouldn't be kill his father? His father wanted to kill him. Seemed fair if he tried to kill him back.

After all the years of constant criticism, the beatings and his ever present disapproval, he could kill him. That would give him satisfaction. More satisfaction than killing anyone from the Sons ever would give him.

Killing his father would at least give him some status. Maybe that would get him an invite to join the Lobos Sonora. He would have to prove he was worthy of joining them and what could make him more worthy than killing the president of a rival MC that just happened to be his father?

New plan. Kill his father. Join rival MC. Destroy the Sons. It was simple, but it would be hard to execute. He smiled at the word execute. His father wanted to do that to him and he was going to do it to him instead.

He flipped the lights off in his seedy motel just outside the Oakland. It was a disgusting filthy place to stay. He left the bathroom light on to try to ward off some of the roaches. The first night he hadn't done that. When he turned on the bathroom light when he'd gotten up in the middle of the night, it was like a sci-fi horror show. The roaches didn't scatter. They practically challenged him to kill them. He'd kill some and suddenly even more would appear. Damned things had reinforcements ready to step in for any that got killed.

Finally he found some comfort in an infomercial for some new anti-aging nutritional supplement. When he woke up, he'd come up with his plan to kill his father. MC life was a kill or be killed existence. Still, his father would be surprised when he killed him. His father would never believe he had the balls to go after and kill him. Surprise!


	317. Chapter 317

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 317 Welcome Surprise**_

"

Hale had news for Tara. She told him she was going to pick up some fried chicken, potato salad and Cole slaw from her favorite deli and invited him to join her for dinner. She promised him another piece of carrot cake if he had good news for her. He quickly accepted her invitation.

Tara liked Hale. Even when she was dating Jax, she'd maintained a friendship with Hale. She wanted to stay friends with him despite her new relationship with Eric. He was great, but he traveled frequently to do book signings, visit his publisher and agent and perform research. He was going to be gone for at least another week and a half.

Eric didn't know about Kohn. She didn't want to drag him into it and she was afraid that it might scare him off. The relationship was too new to weigh it down her with stalking baggage.

Tara decided to take the time to put the potato salad and Cole slaw in serving bowls. If she were alone, she would just spoon out what she wanted from the plastic containers. She set the table after deciding it was too hot to eat outside. She'd just finished pouring them each an iced tea. She'd even made it special with a sprig of mint and a lemon wedge perched on the side of each glass.

"Thanks for the invite. Beats my planned dinner of potato chips," Hale said.

Tara laughed.

"I've had nights like that too. The deli makes such good food and it's too hot to cook."

"You have more carrot cake?"

"Do you have good news for me?" Tara countered.

"I want to see the cake first," Haled demanded.

Tara opened the refrigerator, took out the cake and showed it to Hale.

"OK. I may have some good news for you."

"I didn't realize how easy you were to buy. Just get a carrot cake," Tara said jokingly.

"Keep that our secret."

"Let's eat first," Tara suggested. "I've been so busy today; I got chips and a Coke out of the vending machines for lunch."

"I can't believe they have junk food in hospital vending machines."

"There's a secret location."

They had a nice relaxed dinner. That was the nice thing about Hale; Tara could be herself. She didn't have to impress him. With Eric, she was still in that stage where she was always a little nervous around him wanting him to like her.

After he helped her clean the table, they went outside to sit in her father's porch swing.

"Brings back a lot of memories," Hale said.

"Yeah, it does. I got over Charming by reminding myself of all the bad times here, but there were good times."

"Are you sure you aren't talking about Jax?" Hale asked gently.

"My feelings for Charming definitely were colored by my relationship with Jax, but that's all changed. I'm over him and I'm best friends with Scarlett."

"That's a change. No more cat fights?"

Tara shook her head.

"I'm a doctor now. I can't do fun stuff like that. I really do like Scarlett. We get along really well."

"Well, I do have some good news and I'm hoping it gets better. I called my ATF contact June Stahl. She didn't know anything about a secret investigation into the Sons and this is her area. She was pretty fired up when I told her about Kohn," Hale chuckled at the memory. "She will get to the bottom of it and if he's running some kind of rogue operation, God help him. She'll cut his balls off."

Tara laughed.

"You really think that she'll do something?"

"Yeah, he doesn't know who he's tangling with. If he's using his ATF credentials and he's not on an assignment, he could lose his job."

"I don't want to destroy him. I just want him to leave."

"She's coming to Charming tomorrow. I called Kohn and told him I have some information for him. She'll be able to meet him face to face. I'll let you know how it goes."

"That really is good news. It was been so terrifying to have him park outside my house. I'm so afraid that he's just waiting until I've fallen asleep before breaking in and hurting me."

"Even a restraining order wouldn't keep him from parking down the street and watching you. Restraining orders work if the person isn't crazy or obsessed. Those people understand the consequences of violating the order, but the mentally ill don't care. Do you have a weapon?"

"I have a gun and I know how to use it. He's the reason I got it."

"Let's hope that he can still be reasoned with and that he'll go back to Chicago to save his job."

Tara felt a wave of relief wash over her. It was all going to work out and she wouldn't have to ask Jax to kill Kohn for her.

Sometimes Tara was too optimistic.


	318. Chapter 318

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 318 Unhappy**_

"

Happy was going to be late to work, but this was more important. Clay would understand. Hell, Clay would cheer him on if he knew what he was doing.

The man's hands were tied together with the cord from a clock radio. Happy had his booted foot on the man's throat.

"Tell me where Esai Alvarez is," Happy said. His voice was perfectly calm, almost serene.

"I don't know," the man said.

"Do you want to live or die?" Happy asked putting more pressure on the man's throat with his foot.

"Live," he croaked finding it difficult to speak.

"I know you've talked to him," Happy said, bluffing.

"He called me, but he didn't tell me where he was. Just wanted to know what was going on."

Happy was facing a dilemma. He couldn't kill the guy because he was a Mayan, but he didn't know how far he could go in beating him. He decided he better call the boss and find out.

Happy pointed at the man.

"Stay," he said. He kept his foot on the man's throat.

He reached into his cut and pulled out his phone and made a call to Clay.

"When you said we can't kill Mayans, what about beating them and just leaving them near death?"

"You can't just go out and hurt Mayans," Clay said.

"How else can I get them to tell me where Esai is?"

"Happy, no hurting the Mayans."

"I already hurt the guy a little."

"Don't hurt him anymore."

"Fine," Happy said sullenly. "I'm going to be a little late."

They ended the phone call.

Happy stared down at the man. Clay was taking all the fun out of the day and the day had barely begun. Well, there wasn't anything that he could do about it. He was under orders not to hurt the guy anymore.

He let the man up and cut his hands free.

"Show me where he called you on your phone."

The guy showed Happy the call. Happy memorized the phone number that Esai had used to call the Mayan. He couldn't beat the man into a coma, but he'd gotten some information that might be helpful. It wasn't a wasted trip after all.


	319. Chapter 319

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 319 Fallen**_

"

"You're mother hates me," Scarlett said when Jax woke from his afternoon nap.

He was sitting up in bed with a lightweight blanket over him.

"I'm sure she only dislikes you a little. Anything happen I should know about?"

"She called again and I told her you were asleep. She got even angrier this time when I wouldn't wake you up," Scarlett said with a grin. "I told her to be nice to me or I wouldn't pass her messages on to you."

"How'd she take that?"

"She muttered something about how I may have some power now but it wouldn't last. I suggested she improve her attitude and ended the call. It may take awhile, but I'm going to get her trained. I'm going to use behavioral modification techniques on her."

"I hope it works because I'd love to see that," Jax said chuckling. "Did you tell her that I fell?"

"Why did you fall again? I forgot."

"You are one hell of a cruel nurse. I fell because I tried walking without crutches."

"I remember now. I found you on the floor and you had to crawl to the bed to pull yourself up."

"I haven't crawled since I was a baby."

"It is humbling when your body doesn't work."

"Did you tell Gemma that I fell?" he repeated his question.

"No, I didn't tell her. She would have blamed me. I'm sure she would have told me that I should have been watching you more closely and it wouldn't have happened if she'd been taking care of you. Instead, I called and told Tara."

"Did the two of you come up with a punishment for me?"

"Oh, yeah. Stitches need to stay in an extra day, so maybe Saturday or Sunday they can come out. You also need an extra day of bed rest. You may not be able to go back to work next week because you are still going to be on crutches. When we get back to Charming on Sunday, Tara will assess you further."

"I don't mind the bed rest when you're with me."

"You are just trying to sweet talk me so I don't lecture you anymore about how stupid it was for you to try to walk without your crutches."

"I really thought I could walk."

"Jax you had surgery because you got shot. You had four bullets in you. Your body is weak."

"Does it feel weak to you?"

"You just want me to feel your abs again," she teased. "You lost blood and you're damned lucky not to have an infection. If you misbehave again, I will zip tie you to the bed."

"You can be a harsh woman, Scarlett."

"Would you rather have your mother take care of you?"

"Is that even a question? Why don't you keep me company in bed? I'll let you feel my abs."

"Let me get you your next round of medication and I'll spend a few minutes with you."

Scarlett was going back to knocking Jax out with sleeping meds. He would just get into trouble if he had too much awake time.


	320. Chapter 320

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 320 Candy Bar**_

 _ **"**_

The convenience store was always a pleasantly air conditioned refuge for Louise in the summer. Her mother was thrifty insisting on using fans and not the energy thirsty A/C even in the worst of the summer months.

"Afternoon, Louise."

"In for another candy bar and lemonade, Tig?"

"Yeah, I've got a helluva sweet tooth. I thought you usually work nights."

"I did," she said with a sigh. "It pays a dollar more an hour, but my mother insisted I quit working nights. She says it's too dangerous."

"This isn't Oakland."

"I said the very same thing to her. I can't reason with her though. My mother is just so paranoid about all the disappearances of young women lately. I'm smart. I know how to take care of myself. I just can't get her to understand. Most of the women who disappear are hookers. That's high risk. I don't do anything high risk."

"Women always have to be careful. All it takes is one homicidal drifter. You stay safe."

"Thanks," she said giving him a shy smile.

Tig paid for his lemonade and candy bar and left. Louise watched him until he disappeared from view. He sure seemed like a nice guy.


	321. Chapter 321

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 321 Check In**_

"

Jax never thought much about the future. He took each day as it happened. When he did plan, it was always about moves that would benefit SAMCRO.

Even when he married Wendy, he hadn't been thinking about the future. He was lonely and she was the band aid. He hadn't thought about what having a wife meant. He just knew he was lonely. Marriage to Wendy only increased his loneliness. She was physically present, but meth controlled her brain and left her mentally absent.

Spending so much time with Scarlett made him think about the future and her place in his life. He never got tired of her. He missed her when they weren't together. He remembered how happy he was to see after he'd gotten shot. She had been so sweet and tender with him and she'd kicked Chibs' ass when she thought he was endangering his life with his medical treatment. He loved her and she could be his future Mrs. Jax Teller.

This was insane. He was thinking about marrying Scarlett and he hadn't even had sex with her. What if the sex with her was really bad? He was Jax Teller amateur almost professional sex god. He could teach her. He kind of liked that idea.

A true future for him needed to be a life with less MC violence. He didn't want Scarlett to ever again come to the clubhouse to find him all shot up. There were better ways for the MC to move ahead. The agreement with the Mayans was a good start.

He called Clay to check in. Everything was going smoothly. There had almost been a snag with the Mayan deal thanks to Happy's enthusiasm for violence. He'd been about to give a near fatal beat down to a Mayan when he couldn't get Esai's location out of him. Fortunately, Happy had checked with Clay before doing any real harm to the guy.

Jax's biggest concern was Happy getting carried away and accidentally killing a Mayan. Clay had given Happy a stern talking to about not hurting the Mayans. He'd spent the rest of the day sulking, but he had gotten Clay's message loud and clear.

Tig cheered him up by suggesting they hit a couple of bars outside Charming and get into some bar fights. Killing was the only thing Happy loved more than a good bar fight.

He then called Gemma. She was furious over the way Scarlett was treating her.

"Jackson, she's barely known you a few weeks and she's ordering me around."

"I was asleep. She didn't see any reason to wake me up."

"I am your mother," Gemma said. "It is my place to worry about my son. You nearly died. I wanted to talk to you."

"Scarlett is taking very good care of me."

"It's my place to take care of my son."

"I'm an adult. I can decide who takes care of me."

"I don't understand your behavior. Is her pussy made of gold? Is she that good at cock sucking? She's just another piece of pussy. You'll move on to another pussy and I'll still be your mother."

"Enough!" Jax yelled. "Don't you ever speak about Scarlett like that again."

"You need to think with your brain and not your dick," Gemma said.

"You are going too far. Scarlett also told me that you tried to stir up trouble with her while I was being stitched up by Tara."

"Little rat bitch," Gemma muttered under her breath.

"I heard that," Jax said. "I will not put up with you trying to poison my relationship with Scarlett. Are we clear?"

The line was silent.

 _"Are we clear?"_ Jax asked more forcefully this time.

"Yes," Gemma snapped.

Jax ended the call. He was seeing Gemma more clearly since he witnessed her toss poor baby Bela's dead body into the rocking chair at the hospital when she learned Bela wasn't her grandchild.

He would never get that image out of his mind. His feelings for Gemma would never be the same. He would not let her come between him and Scarlett. He wouldn't let her destroy their relationship.


	322. Chapter 322

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 322 Under Control**_

"

Carl Namid relaxed in his study with a glass of scotch. It had been a particularly good week or bad week depending on the point of view. Three babies had died during surgery. He wasn't cold and ruthless. He selected the babies that died during surgery based on what kind of quality of life the babies would have if the surgery had been successful. He was making the decision the parents didn't have the courage to make.

He had some compassion for parents desperate for their baby to live. They were past the point of doing what was actually in the best interests of their infant. That's where he stepped in. Of course, there was a financial incentive, but he'd never killed a baby who would have had a normal life.

"You had a good week," Margaret said. She opened her purse and handed Carl a thick envelope stuffed with cash.

"Keep those sick near death babies coming," Carl said drily.

He poured her some scotch without bothering to ask. She'd never turned down a drink in the three years he'd known her.

"You do have the best scotch," Margaret said as she accepted the glass.

"You could have the best scotch too. You just have to buy it."

"My husband would have a stroke if I bought a bottle of expensive scotch."

Carl shook his head with disgust.

"I can't believe you allow your husband to control you like that."

"It just avoids fights. I'd get a divorce but I don't know who would get the kids. Neither of us would want custody. I hated being a mother, but still I had to have a second kid. Maybe when they are older, it will be better."

"Probably going to be a hell of a lot worse," Carl said with a trace of malice in his voice. "You haven't hit the teen years yet."

"Oh, shit," Margaret said. "I didn't think of that. Maybe I'll just take my secret stash of money and run away. Make it look like my son of a bitch of a husband killed me. He goes to jail and my bitch sister gets stuck raising my demon spawns. Pay her back for all the hell she put me through when we were kids."

"Nothing like some sisterly love."

"Never felt any of that," Margaret said. She reached into her handbag again and pulled out another envelope stuffed with money. "This is for taking care of Dr. Knowles. What did you do?"

"She's under control. That's all you need to know."

Margaret finished her drink and looked longingly at the scotch decanter.

"You can let yourself out," Carl said dismissively.

Margaret left her face flushed with anger over the way he'd dismissed her.

Carl poured himself another scotch, pulled out the brochures of islands for sale and thought about his future living on an island with beautiful barely legal girls waiting on him hand and foot. Life was good and, for now, he had Dr. Knowles under control.


	323. Chapter 323

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 323 Out of Control**_

"

It was bedtime and Gemma was turning down the bed. She was still filled with rage over her phone call with Jax. Clay could see the fire in her eyes and her flushed face. He braced himself for another tirade.

"Can you believe Jax sticking up for that little blonde push toy over his own mother?" Gemma demanded as she climbed into bed.

"You may be his mother, but he can fuck her. Sooner or later sex was going to win out. I'm just surprised it took this long," Clay said, fanning the flames of Gemma's anger. Sometimes he enjoyed seeing her all fired up because it turned into hot sex. Sometimes it didn't. He'd just roll the dice and see what happened.

"Traitor," Gemma spit the word out angrily. "I gave him life. He tells me he won't put up with me talking bad about his precious Scarlett."

Jax changed girls so often, Clay didn't bother learning their names. He'd only remembered this one because she reminded him of the little girl that was supposed to be his daughter—the one that saw him squeeze the life out of her mother.

Somewhere deep in his memory, he suddenly recalled Eden telling him _Gone with the Wind_ was her favorite book. She'd said that if she had a daughter she was going to name her Scarlett. Strange that he'd suddenly remembered this. It had to just be a coincidence.

Clay wasn't listening to Gemma ranting and raving anymore. He was thinking about his daughter witnessing him kill her mother. That kid had grown up and she was out there with the information that could get him locked up for life. He'd always had this uneasy feeling that one day that girl would find him and wreck his life.

Could Scarlett be that girl? He had already gone through this. The pictures that she showed him of her childhood were clearly not of the girl that witnessed Eden's murder. The mother in the pictures was clearly not Eden.

Was it possible that the pictures were fakes and weren't of Scarlett and her mother? Was it possible this Scarlett was his daughter and she was coming to avenge her mother's death? This was ridiculous. She wasn't that smart. He was just being paranoid. No matter how much he tried to push the idea out of his head, there was a flicker of doubt that remained.

"I don't know what I'm going to do yet, but I won't put up with Jax putting that whore ahead of his mother," Gemma said.

Clay was paying attention now. He had no idea what she'd said while he'd been thinking of going to prison for the rest of his life. It was Gemma. It couldn't have been that important.

"Why don't you make friends with Tara and use her to take down Jax's relationship?"

"Tara knows I hate her. She hates me back. I don't think that would work."

"You're smart. You'll think of something," Clay said getting into bed and moving close to Gemma. "Bedtime kiss."

Gemma gave him a playful shove. Clay pulled her under him. Tonight he was getting lucky.


	324. Chapter 324

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 _ **Chapter 324 Faking It**_

"

As it took longer and longer to find his whore of an ex-fiancée this time, her ex was becoming more and more unhinged. He'd been a spoiled only child with wealthy neglectful parents. His nannies had one rule; never tell him no. A nanny told him no when he was about to pull a pan of boiling water off the stove. She'd been promptly fired.

His father had kept a large locked box in a closet in his study. It contained the skeletons of all the small animals he'd caught and tortured as a child. Even as an adult, he still sometimes felt the compulsion to torture and kill small animals. The family had lost two dogs that way. He discovered he got a greater rush from the killing and torturing if there was an emotional connection to the animal.

He'd shared his hobby with his son when he was six. The boy took to it with more enthusiasm and enjoyment than he could have ever hoped or imagined.

His mother cared only about how she looked. She'd been pretty, but far short of beautiful. Her sister had been the beautiful one. She spent almost every free minute of her day trying to achieve great beauty. Lotions, masks, surgeries and spas, she could never do enough to get her face and body to cross the threshold from pretty to beautiful.

When her son was seven, she woke up to find him standing over her with a large chief's knife. She'd been uneasy about her strange son. The knife incident sealed her son's fate. Three days later, he was on a plane to boarding school. She never saw him again.

When he was nine, his parents went by helicopter to an out of bounds area at a Colorado resort to ski. The chopper crashed and there was a fire. The crash killed his father. His mother received severe burns mostly to her face. Even with years of reconstructive surgery, she was always going to look like she'd been in a fire. A good result would give her a face that wouldn't frighten small children.

She could not endure a life that meant that she could never look in a mirror without crying. Once she was given a bottle of pain killers, she'd taken every tablet in the bottle and died. She no longer had even the slimmest of hopes that she would be beautiful. She couldn't live like that.

So PR Roth heir to Roth industries had grown up raised by boarding schools and a legally appointed guardian whose main job was to bill the estate for as much money as possible.

"I want her found," Roth yelled pounding his fist on his desk.

Brian his assistant of two months didn't look surprised or shocked. His boss was always coming unhinged. That was one of the reasons that despite the great pay, few assistants lasted more than six months.

"We don't have any leads."

"We had that lead from that fair. I want that looked into thoroughly. There's got to be some lead somewhere."

"Right away, sir."

The lead would not be looked into because Brian figured out that if this woman was found, there wasn't going to be a happy outcome for her. And he could make a helluva lot of money by using his friends to fake being investigators and generate fake billings.

He doubted he would last six months with the infamous PR Roth, but while he worked for him, he would milk him for every penny he could and the woman would stay safe at least while he worked for Roth.

 _ **Next: Jax gets his stitches out.**_

 _ **"**_

 _ **Author's Note**_

 _ **Kurt Sutter got fired from the Mayans. It's all over the internet. The next day, he posted a picture of Charlie Hunnam noting that he missed that guy. The next day he posted a picture of CH with Theo Rossi.**_

 _ **I have an idea for a new SOA and because I think all my ideas are genius, I want to share my idea for rebooting SOA.**_

 _ **The guys are all sitting in a darkened movie theater. They have just watched a mini series that they were persuaded to appear in. This has some basis in fact. There was a Navy SEALs movie that used real SEALs playing themselves so it's not completely crazy.**_

 _ **A nerdy screenwriter wearing thick glasses played by Kurt Sutter asks them what they think. The guys roar with laughter at the ridiculous drama.**_

 _ **They leave the theater and are promptly ambushed by the Mayans. After a fun and bloody gun battle, all the Mayans are killed, the Sons are arrested and the reboot opens with the mug shots of all the guys. SOA Reborn comes to all of our TV screens.**_

 _ **And since June Stahl (Allie Walker) is married to John Landgraf (one of the guys that fired KS), SOA Reborn will not have her in the TV show.**_


	325. Chapter 325

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 325 Stitches**_

"

Scarlett was facing a dilemma. Ass or thigh? Jax for his part looked completely unconcerned. Scarlett was pretty sure Jax had never been embarrassed a moment in his life or he would have at least looked a little uncomfortable.

Finally Scarlett decided ass. It was the most embarrassing part. Better to get it done and over.

"Let's do the butt first," Scarlett said.

Jax moved his boxer's to below the stitches in his butt. He was lying on the bed wearing nothing but a SAMCRO T-shirt, his navy blue boxers and white socks.

Scarlett removed the bandages from his butt, picked up her phone and moved its camera over his ass.

"You need to get it a little closer," Tara said. She and Scarlett were video chatting.

Scarlett moved her phone's camera closer.

"It looks really good," Tara said.

"Thank you," Jax said feigning modesty.

"You had nothing to do with it," Tara said tartly. "It was my stitching and Scarlett's nursing."

"So there," Scarlett added.

Jax chuckled.

"You can definitely take the stitches out," Tara said. "It's well healed."

Jax pulled up his boxers to cover his ass while Scarlett lifted the leg of his boxers and removed the bandages. She picked up her phone and moved the phone's camera over the back of Jax's thigh.

"That looks good. It's healed nicely. You can take those stitches out too."

Scarlett looked at Tara on her phone. She was at her home in the den sitting on her sofa.

"I've never taken stitches out before."

"Don't let Jax take his own stitches out," Tara said emphatically. "Do you remember what happened when you tried to take your stitches out?"

"Yeah, I remember," Jax said, "but I'm sure you'd like to tell Scarlett all about it."

"He'd been riding his dirt bike in shorts when he went down and tore a big gash in his leg."

"Due to a big piece of broken glass," Jax added.

"Instead of telling his mother, he washed it and put a couple of band aids over the gash. Later that night, we were just hanging around listening to music when Gemma noticed his jeans were stained with blood. She chewed his ass out for not telling her before dragging him off to Urgent Care."

"Did you forget I also ruined my favorite jeans?"

"I did forget that. I just remember the epic ass chewing Gemma gave you," Tara said laughing at the memory. "She took the keys away to your dirt bike too."

"And that's why I learned how to hot wire a bike, so it wasn't all bad."

"A day or two later the stitches started to itch," Tara continued, "so Jax decided that meant it was time to take them out."

"Doesn't that mean it's healing?" Scarlett asked.

"That's what I told him. Instead of using little nail scissors, he got these big kitchen shears, accidentally stabbed himself with them _and_ reopened the gash. Blood was everywhere in Gemma's neat clean kitchen."

"The scissors slipped and I didn't even know what nail scissors were at the time because I always used nail clippers," Jax explained.

"I took Jax to Urgent Care. They stitched him back up and added some new stitches for the new injury. We thought we got away with it, but in the rush to leave, we didn't get all the blood cleaned up. Do you remember the story you gave your mom?"

There it was. Scarlett could hardly believe her eyes, but Jax's face seemed to redden ever so slightly with embarrassment.

"I told her that it was Tara's time of the month and that's why there was blood," Jax admitted.

"What made it really bad was _I_ was there when he told her. I was humiliated _and_ he made it worse."

"What did you do?" Scarlett asked looking at Jax.

"I said we were also having sex."

"In the kitchen," Tara added.

Scarlett laughed.

"Why did you say that?" she asked.

"She looked skeptical so I thought I needed to explain why there was so much blood. Girls don't take out their tampons unless there's a reason. I came up with a reason."

"I swear every time I was in Gemma's kitchen she would give me a disgusted look and I knew she was thinking about Jax's story and that I bleed a lot every month."

"Why didn't you just say you cut yourself with a kitchen knife?"

"The blood was on a kitchen chair," Jax said.

"Why didn't you just tell Gemma the truth?"

"Back then, it was always my first instinct to hide things from Gemma. Life worked out better that way."

"He was already in trouble with Gemma," Tara added helpfully, "and gotten the epic ass chewing."

"Did she ever find out?"

"No. She barely glanced at the health insurance statement. She never noticed that other visit to Urgent Care. I went to Urgent Care a lot back then."

"What about the kitchen sex? Were you in trouble for that?"

" _I wasn't_ ," Jax said with a grin.

"Did Gemma ever say anything to you?" Scarlett asked Tara.

"No, she just gave me this look like I was scum—not regular scum _bleeding_ scum," Tara said. "I think that was the most embarrassing moment of my life."

"I think this whole thing has been my most embarrassing experience," Scarlett said. "How do I take out the stitches?"

"You'll be fine because nothing embarrasses Jax. Just snip the end near the knot with a pair of nail scissors and use a pair of tweezers to pull the stitches out."

"Thanks Tara," Scarlett said.

"Yeah, thanks a lot Tara," Jax said.

"You can use one crutch now if you feel strong enough. Use it on your good side not your bad side. People always make that mistake when they decide to use crutches on their own."

They ended their call.

"I'd offer to take my own stitches out, but the location makes that kind of hard."

"I just don't want to hurt you."

"Scarlett, a little pain won't kill me and I've had a lot of stitches taken out. It isn't painful. When you're finished, we need to talk about Tara."

Scarlett wondered why he wanted to talk to her about Tara.


	326. Chapter 326

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 326 Sue First**_

 _ **Blackmail Later**_

"

Clay couldn't believe his eyes when he got served with legal papers suing him for Bucky's street sweeper accident. It was bad enough that Bucky lived through yet another accident, but now he was being sued. The papers said he was negligent for not telling him about the street sweeper before it swept Bucky.

True, he had not warned Bucky that the street sweeper was going to hit him, but Bucky couldn't know that. He had mouthed the warning and Bucky's hearing wasn't the best.

Sons don't sue Sons. That was a basic MC rule. It was such a basic rule, it wasn't even written down. Bucky wasn't really in the MC anymore because his chapter folded. Maybe that rule didn't apply. Still, what the fuck! Bucky suing him!

If Bucky was willing to sue him, could blackmailing him for killing Eden be far behind?


	327. Chapter 327

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 327 Outstitched**_

"

"Might as well take them out," Scarlett said uncertainly.

"You'll do a great job."

Scarlett opened the drawer of her nightstand and took out the manicure kit, unzipped it and sat down beside Jax.

"Do you think you could hurt me more than I've already been hurt?" Jax asked gently.

"I get what you're saying. I wonder if I need to wipe the area with alcohol."

'The skin's healed and closed now," Jax pointed out.

Jax watched as Scarlett took the nail scissors and held them over the knot hesitating. It reminded him of every movie he'd seen where someone has to defuse a bomb and there's that tense, suspenseful moment before the snip is made. Scarlett looked that intense.

He thought about pretending to be hurt after she made the snip, but he couldn't do that to her. There was just something adorable about her fear of hurting him.

"OK. There," she said finally cutting the knot.

"See how easy that was," Jax said.

She looked at him with those deep green eyes framed by lacy black eyelashes.

"Easy for you to say. You didn't have to do anything."

She used tweezers to carefully and gently pull the stitches out from his thigh.

"Does that hurt?" she asked softly.

"No. Scars, I'm tough. You don't have to be that gentle."

Jax pointed at his cheek.

"I can't give you a kiss. My back can't bend down like that."

"You'll just have to pay me back with interest."

Scarlett looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"You are getting to be very demanding and spoiled."

"You could spank me," Jax said with a mischievous grin on his face.

"That would give you too much pleasure."

Jax lowered his briefs so she could be able to take the stitches in his ass out. She was quicker and noticeably less nervous. Her face was flushed as she concentrated on his ass. She cut the knot and slowly pulled out the stitches.

"What a relief that's over!"

Jax pulled up his boxers.

"You know you'll have to still check out my ass in case it develops some kind of complication."

Scarlett looked at him sternly.

"You can monitor it yourself with a hand mirror. It's in the bathroom."

Jax got up and pulled on his lightweight sweatpants.

"I can't believe you would turn down an opportunity to see my butt."

"Well," Scarlett said hesitantly, "I didn't want to say anything earlier, but it's kind of . . ."

"Kind of what?" Jax demanded.

"Pasty."

Scarlett giggled at the look of outrage on Jax's face.

"Maybe I should sunbathe naked on the deck today."

"You just want me to rub suntan lotion all over your body."

"I just want to fix my aesthetically displeasing ass," Jax said sitting down beside Scarlett. "I want to talk to you about Tara."

"OK."

Jax took a deep breath. He hated relationship conversations, but he wanted to be better at being in a relationship.

"When she was talking about our past, were you OK with that?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Some girls might be jealous over something like that."

"It was in the past. Tara didn't mention it to be mean or anything. It was a funny story about you and her in the past."

"I just wanted to make sure that you're OK."

"I'm OK. I know you don't love Tara or you would have sent for her when you got shot instead of me."

"It never even occurred me to send for her. You were all I could think about."

"And that's why I'm not worried about Tara," she said, kissing his cheek. "I think it's time for your nap."

"I am sleepy," Jax said. He still suspected Scarlett was drugging him so he would sleep, but maybe that was the smart way to recover; try to sleep as much as possible to get his body to heal. "How about you lay down with me?"

"Well, just because you had your stitches out doesn't mean I can quit taking care of you. I really should lay down with you to be a good nurse make sure you nap properly."

He helped her settle into bed with him and kissed her. He knew he only had a few minutes before his body and the drugs she'd given him would force him to sleep.

"

 ** _Author's Note: I am writing a short 3 chapter Happy fiction for Halloween. You ought to check it out. The last chapter will be posted on Halloween._**


	328. Chapter 328

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 328 Sliding**_

"

Clay put the lawsuit paperwork in the inner pocket of his cut. He was going to pay Bucky a little visit. Fuck Bucky Jeffers! He wished he'd never seen the son of a bitch.

Bucky had been advanced some money from a company that loaned out money to people with pending lawsuits. He was staying at an assisted living facility until he got the casts off his arm and leg and did the physical therapy that would be needed to regain the strength in his limbs. Since Bucky had great financial prospects with all his lawsuits, he was staying in the nicest room in the place.

This assisted living facility wasn't what comes to mind when thinking of this type of place. It was bright with lots of windows and done in a warm cheerful beige. It had pictures of flowers on the walls. A big multi purpose room had a couple of card games going on. A couple of tables of residents were working on puzzlers. Another table had a couple of women and one man doing yarn and needlework projects that no one would want. If he was ever going to go to a place like this, nice as it looked, he wanted someone to put a bullet through his brain. Prison might even be better than this kind of "normal" life. Bucky wasn't in the room.

Clay walked back to Bucky's room. He'd visited him briefly once. Bucky had his own beige room with more pictures of flowers on the wall. He was in a hospital bed. A flat screen TV was on a wall and there was a wheelchair nearby. The room also had chairs, a sofa and coffee table for visitors.

"Clay!" Bucky said with a big smile. "Glad to see you."

"Glad to see me? You son of a bitch! How could you sue me?"

Bucky looked up at Clay confusion on his lined face. He licked his lips. He was going to get new teeth to replace his prison grade choppers, but his attorney advised him to wait until the lawsuits were all settled. Bad teeth could up the sympathy factor with the jury.

"I'm not suing you," Bucky said, frowning with confusion.

Clay pulled the papers from his cut.

"What the hell do you think this is?" Clay said throwing the papers down on Bucky's lap.

Bucky looked at the papers.

"My attorney came to the hospital and asked me to tell him what happened and to tell him all the names. He's a real nice guy and he really wants to help me. He told me to just leave everything to him."

"How the hell did you end up suing me? I didn't do anything to you."

Clay didn't even feel a little bad about Bucky's condition or the fact that he didn't give Bucky a real warning about the out of control street sweeper.

"I didn't know I was suing you," Bucky whined. "He gave me these papers and told me to sign so I did. He told me that he just sues everyone and then people drop out as time goes on."

"I want you to drop me from this damned lawsuit now."

Bucky nodded his head slowly thinking.

"You know Clay, I could drop you from the lawsuit. I'd feel better about it and could do it a whole lot faster if I got made a provisional member of SAMCRO. I'd really like for us to be brothers again."

There was a provision in the charter to allow members who had left the MC in good standing to return to the MC. They then had 90 days to prove themselves to the MC. After the 90 days they had to be unanimously voted in.

Son of a bitch! Clay wanted to wring Bucky's scrawny neck. This was his play the whole time. He wanted back in the MC and he was using this lawsuit to get back to the club. That bastard!

"Sure Bucky, I can see putting you up as a provisional member."

"When that happens, I'll feel a lot better. I would be able to call my attorney then and have you taken out of the lawsuit."

"After Church, I'll let you know," Clay said.

"Nice seeing you, Clay," Bucky smiled, his teeth sliding a little in his mouth.

"Yeah," Clay said snatching up the legal papers and returning them to his cut.

Clay left Bucky. That son of a bitch knew exactly what he was doing by suing him. He didn't believe that dim witted act of his.

This was it. The blackmail was starting and Clay was going to end Bucky Jeffers life.

"

 _ **Author's Note: I don't know if any of you noticed, but I did a story about Happy and Halloween. It's actually complete in three chapters like I planned it.**_

 _ **The third chapter has a SAMCRO Halloween party. Even if you don't want to read the story, you might want to check out the third chapter to see what the guys wore for costumes.**_


	329. Chapter 329

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 329 Resting Face**_

"

Scarlett watched Jax for a moment as he slept. He was a dangerously attractive man. There was that beautifully chiseled jawline, the high cheekbones, the sexy curve of his lips. And then there was the light in his blue eyes when he looked at her. He was even sexy with his eyes closed, his thick blonde eyelashes resting against his cheeks.

After all the bandage changes and taking out his stitches, she was still uneasy with this hard muscled body. She was going to have to get over that fairly soon since she'd told him she would sleep with him in a few weeks.

She could feel the waves of cold fear wash over her body. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her nerves. This whole falling in love thing was not good. She'd tried hard to resist, but falling in love with him felt inevitable.

Everything would be so much easier if she just ran away. Jax was going to break her heart. It might as well be now before she got closer to him emotionally and physically. It would hurt less.

It had been weak of her to fall in love with him, but it might work out. He loved her. She was sure of that. Maybe they could figure things out and give their love story a happy ending.

She had a secret she might need to tell him. Could she trust him? Did she have the strength to tell him? How would he react? Just the thought of telling him made her want to throw up.

She thought some more about running away.


	330. Chapter 330

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 330 Gotta Kill**_

"

They were all out in the garage when Clay announced that Jax was still recovering from getting all shot up and he wouldn't be back at TM until Wednesday. Jax had come close to death, it was understandable that it would take him longer than a day or two to get better.

"If I were Jax," Chibs said, "I'd let that beautiful blonde take care of all my needs for as long as possible."

All the guys snickered except Tig.

"I don't think he's that into her," Tig said. "It's just another Jax Teller fling. I bet by the time they get back in Charming he'll be bored with her."

"When I was with Jax and Scarlett, they seemed really close," Juice said.

"Hey, Jax could get married again. He's a widower," Chibs said.

"Jax won't marry her," Tig said trying to scoff at the idea. Her heart was beating fast and she was scared. _Could he really think about marrying her?_

"Hey, Tiggy, what's wrong?" Bobby asked. "You got a thing for that blonde?"

Everyone laughed. Tig scowled. She had a thing for that blonde but it wasn't the blonde everyone was thinking of.

"Back to work. You're all gossiping like a bunch of chicks," Clay grumbled.

Not being able to see Jax for so long was taking its toll on Tig. Inside she was a wreck. She was nervous and scared about what the future held for her and Jax.

Sometimes life was so dark, she didn't think things would ever work out for her and Jax. The distance between them was just too far and he would never see her as she was inside.

All the sadness and despair washed over her. She'd long ago accepted that she would never be normal, but seeing Jax and dreaming of a future with him gave her a little hope.

That rage she always felt over the unfairness of life was building. There was only one thing she could do to make herself feel better. Someone was going to have to die tonight. That would make her feel good again.


	331. Chapter 331

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 331 Lunch Surprise**_

"

Tara was sitting at a small lunch table in a corner of the cafeteria eating a late lunch. She couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding she felt. She knew there was something bad going on at the hospital. Too many babies that Dr. Namid was operating on were dying.

The infants each faced a tough life filled with surgeries and physical struggles. It wasn't a surgeon's place to decide who lives and who dies, but Tara was afraid that was exactly what was happening.

She didn't understand how no one else noticed what was going on, but surgeons were treated like gods in hospitals. A surgeon could show up three hours late, in dirty scrubs and under the influence of coke. No one would say a word about it to the surgeon. The code of silence in the medical community was even stronger than the one in law enforcement.

St. Thomas was a small community hospital who depended on its neo-natal unit for its financial survival. No one was going to challenge Dr. Namid. If someone got the courage to say something, that person would be the one that everyone would turn on.

If she discovered that Dr. Namid was either deliberately killing babies or just botching surgery due to incompetence, what was she going to do about it? Did she really want to fight not just the hospital staff, but potentially the residents? If the neo-natal unit got shut down as a result of scandal, could the town lose its hospital? What about her job? Unless she was prepared to do something about Dr. Namid, should she give up all her digging?

She was so deep in thought, she didn't realize Kohn was in the cafeteria until he put his tray down at her table and took a seat.

"Good afternoon," he said cheerfully.

Tara jumped, startled by his sudden appearance.

"What are you doing here?"

"I like the food," he said with a smile.

He had the specialty of the day meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans cooked so long they were almost a paste.

"How's that investigation on the Sons going?" Tara asked.

He leaned forward, a smirk on his face.

"Teller's going to be doing hard time. When I'm finished with him and his motorcycle gang, they will be locked up for the rest of their lives."

"Gee, Josh, you are just so powerful. It must be so amazing to be an ATF agent. I mean, you're so important that the ATF flies you out to Charming to head this investigation. You're practically a superhero."

She smiled at him, a look of hero worship on her face.

He puffed out his chest, pleased by her compliments.

"I am damned good at my job," he said modestly.

"I asked around a little about you. Turns out, you really aren't out here on legitimate ATF business. You are running some type of rogue operation. The whole Sons thing is just a personal vendetta because you are obsessed with Jax Teller. Face it Joshy, you will never measure up to him. Give it up and go back to Chicago."

Kohn's lips twisted and his face flushed with anger.

"You don't know a damned thing, Dr. Knowles. I am going to arrest Jax Teller and his criminal organization. Who knows? Maybe you'll go down with him."

Tara felt some fear. Was it possible that he was on a legitimate mission for the ATF? In large organizations sometimes they didn't always coordinate well. Could this investigation be real?

She hadn't heard back from Hale about his ATF contact. She was bluffing Kohn because she knew from experience the worst thing was for him to see her fear. She knew he loved the rush he got if he saw fear on her face.

"I haven't done anything. Guess you better find some evidence to plant."

"Where's Teller now?"

Tara shrugged.

"I don't know. I've told you enough times that I'm not with him. My words should have gotten through to you by now. Just go away Josh. You're making a fool of yourself."

"Look in the mirror Tara. Practice posing for your mug shots. If I dig around enough into you, I know I'll find something."

"I'd rather go to prison than spend another a night with you with or without Viagra."

"You fucking bitch. You're going to be sorry."

Kohn stood up, picked up his lunch tray and slammed it down on the table. Tara got splattered with mashed potatoes and gravy.


	332. Chapter 332

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 332 Money Laundering Made Simple**_

"

While they were outside sitting at a table on the deck, Scarlett was busy cutting out rectangles. She was going to teach him about money laundering and she was making visual aids. He smiled at the intense look on her face as she prepared her presentation. He never imagined the hot blonde bending over her car would turn out to be an outlaw with money laundering skills.

"OK," Scarlett said beginning her lesson, "say you found a big bag of money a drug dealer lost. You don't want to turn it into the cops."

"Because they would use it to buy donuts or just steal it," Jax interrupted.

"I don't see David Hale stealing money, but I don't know about the rest of the Charming police force."

"I agree with you about Hale. He's always been annoyingly honest."

"He's a decent guy," Scarlett said. "I think he would be boring as hell if you had to spend too much time with him."

"So I don't need to worry about him stealing you away from me?"

"If I wanted to be with him, I'd be with him."

That was another thing he liked about Scarlett. She was straightforward about her feelings and didn't try to use Hale to make him jealous.

Scarlett continued her explanation using a writing tablet to provide additional diagrams for her money laundering explanation. When she finished, Jax looked at her with astonishment.

"I understand," he grinned at her. "I can't believe it, but understood everything."

"It was the visual aids," Scarlett said modestly.

"I have to confess that I thought you were a little crazy cutting out the money, but it really helped."

"I knew I could explain it so you would understand."

"How would you feel about explaining it to my MC?"

"Complete with visual aids?"

"Of course. I know Bobby has a guy that does money laundering for him from time to time, but I don't think he even understands what the guy does. He gives the guy money and the guy gives him back less money and says it's been washed."

"That's typically how it's done. The money launderer takes a percentage and then gives back the money. He might be legit or he may be taking advantage of him. I don't mind explaining as long as they guys don't tell anyone about my money laundering presentation."

"They won't say anything. With this Mayan agreement, there might be some money that might need to be cleaned."

"That brings me to part two of my presentation," Scarlett said.

Her enthusiasm made him smile and shake his head.

"What is part two?"

"This part of the presentation is only for you."

"That sounds promising."

Scarlett was leaning forward causing the fabric of her blue top to pull tight against her breasts and giving Jax a view of her cleavage.

"Part two doesn't involve you looking down the front of my shirt," she said tartly.

Jax laughed, completely unembarrassed about being caught.

"It's biology. I see breasts and I have to look."

"You see them and then you keep trying to see them again. They haven't changed."

"I know, but I just can't keep myself from looking," Jax said chuckling.

"Just as long you keep your eyes off other girls' breasts, we'll be good."

"I'm OK if you want to look at other girls' breasts."

"That's very open minded of you. I'm not that open minded."

Scarlett next explained what businesses work best for money laundering. She suggested finding a business that does a lot in cash like a laundromat, a self-service car wash or some kind of service/consulting business.

"The guys are going to be impressed at how smart my old lady is," Jax said.

"Old lady?"

"You're my old lady. It's MC speak for serious girlfriend or wife."

"Hmmm . . . I'm not sure I like the old part of that."

"It doesn't mean you're old."

"I can feel my relationship fear start to rise. I don't know why, but I get this impulse to run."

"You can't physically run and I can't chase after you very well in my condition. We're stuck together."

"At least until one of us gets better," Scarlett said with a smile.

Jax wasn't entirely sure Scarlett was joking.


	333. Chapter 333

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 333 Fear and Loathing**_

"

Kohn stormed off muttering under his breath that he was going to make her pay for the way she was treating him. The encounter had shaken Tara. Everyone from the cafeteria workers to those eating at their tables had turned and stared at them. She figured by the time she wiped the mashed potatoes and gravy out of her hair the gossip would have spread through the hospital. Nothing moved faster at St. Thomas than a juicy bit of gossip.

Tara left by a side door so she didn't have to walk through the hospital to get to her car. Her shift was over and she was glad she didn't have to pretend that nothing was wrong. She was going to have to do something about Kohn before he did something to her.

Once she'd gotten home, she took a hot shower to calm her nerves and to wash the last of the mashed potatoes and gravy out of her hair. She figured she had three options with Kohn. She could go to Jax and get his help. Make the deal she'd thought about before—agree to taking care of SAMCRO's medical needs in exchange for Jax killing Kohn.

If she used that option, she would be tying herself to SAMCRO forever. She would be trading the dangers of Kohn for the dangers of SAMCRO. She also didn't like asking Jax to kill for her. He wasn't heartless. He would pay some emotional price for killing Kohn. He might even get caught and go to prison.

She could deal with Kohn herself, but she didn't have any reason to get a restraining order. She could lie, but a restraining order was just a piece of paper. Kohn would still come after her either using his power as a federal agent or just come directly at her. He was a violent man and he'd hit her in the past. She knew that he was capable of beating her to death.

She thought Hale was going to check out Kohn, but she hadn't heard from him. Maybe he had bad news and he didn't want to tell her. As much as she didn't want to hear bad news, she needed to know if Hale was going to be able to help her with Kohn.

While she wanted until seven when she knew Hale would be home, she tried to focus on going through her father's stuff. Her hands shook as she tried to sort through his piles of old newspapers and magazines.

Another option suddenly occurred to her. She could run. She had enough money for a few months. In that time, she could sell her father's house and use that money to live on for awhile. Maybe that would give Kohn some time to meet someone else to become obsessed with and he'd forget all about her.

She would never know where her relationship with Eric was going to go, but it would be worth losing that potential romance if it would save her life. Did she really want to live her life constantly on the run? How long would she have to be on the run? Six months? A year? Forever?

Decisions about the future could wait at least until after she talked to Hale.


	334. Chapter 334

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 334 Cosmic Destiny**_

"

Living in Charming was all about learning to enjoy life's small pleasures because that was all the town could provide. Hale was enjoying his own special moment building up his charcoal pyramid and waiting for the coals to get hot enough to spread out. He was going to grill an extra large pack of chicken drumsticks and then slather them with his homemade barbeque sauce.

He'd just ducked into his house to grab a beer out of the fridge when Tara called. He suggested she come over so they could discuss the Kohn situation face to face.

"You sure you don't want a beer? Or something else to drink?" Hale asked her when he let her into his house.

"No thanks."

"You sure you don't want to stay for dinner? I'm making barbequed chicken."

"I ate a late lunch, but thanks."

"Let's go outside," he said leading her through his patio sliding glass door, "I have to keep an eye on the coals."

They took seats in patio chairs and Hale took a sip of his beer.

"It's always strange to see you in your PD uniform," Tara said. "I always picture you like this in jeans and a T-shirt."

"Adjusting to the uniform took some doing. I never mastered the cleaning and ironing part of uniform maintenance. I take them to Antoine's and have them put extra starch when they iron them. I'm just glad we don't have to wear hats."

"I kind of wanted to be a nurse before I became a doctor. I liked the idea of wearing a nurse's hat. There were so many styles. Now nurses don't wear hats, so it's a good thing I didn't become a nurse to wear a hat. They don't even wear white nurses' uniforms anymore."

"I do like not having to figure out what I'm going to wear to work."

"Do you have any news on Kohn?" Tara asked.

"I didn't forget about you. My ATF source said there's no official reason for him to be in Charming. The meeting with my source and Kohn at the PD didn't happen because Stahl, my ATF source, got called out on an emergency. Some guy was going to make moonshine and almost blew himself up."

"He came to the hospital cafeteria while I was there. He threatened to put me in jail. I haven't done anything," Tara said, anguish in her voice. "He's unhinged. He told me when I lived in Chicago that he planted evidence twice to get convictions. I'm afraid he'll do that to me."

"Did he give you any details?"

"No," she said shaking her head. "He could have been lying, but there was just something about the way he said it that made me believe he was telling the truth."

"I'll call Stahl in the morning and put together another meeting. I think I'll blindside Kohn by waiting until a little before the meeting. I'll call him and lure him to the PD promising a big lead on the Sons. I know the waiting is hard, but give it a week. Kohn's going to pay for his off the books investigation. I'm not talking a slap on the wrist. I think he's going to end up getting fired from the ATF and doing some prison time."

"You really think it's that serious?"

Hale nodded.

"When I pass on your information about Kohn bragging about planting evidence that will fire up Stahl even more. It's going to happen."

"He's just so crazy."

"You want to try getting a restraining order?"

"Restraining orders don't stop the mentally unstable."

Hale got up and began to spread his coals evenly in the grill.

"I'll be right back. I need to get the chicken. Sure you don't want a beer?"

"You've convinced me. A beer sounds good," Tara said.

Hale returned with the chicken and carefully arranged it on the grill before closing the grill's hood. He went back inside and returned bringing out two bottles of beer with him. He opened one and handed it to Tara.

"Thanks," she said.

"You know for a few seconds, I thought I might have a chance with Scarlett," Hale confessed. "The day I met her, she mentioned _L.A. Confidential_. It's one of my favorite movies. It was such a random unexpected thing for her to say. I thought it meant we had some kind of destiny. A cosmic connection," he said ruefully. "She came over a couple of times to watch the movie with me. She's also read Ellroy's novels. We talked about the books. I really enjoyed her company."

"Kind of like me. I thought Jax and I were destined to be together too. That was part of the reason I came back to Charming. He knew that. It was kind of embarrassing. He told me that we were done and he didn't love me anymore. He wanted me to move on with my life. It freed me. I realized I'd been carrying the weight of the fantasy of getting back with Jax around for too long."

"I had a similar experience with Scarlett. She called me and told me she couldn't see me anymore. We were just friends. I was hoping over time, it would turn into something more. She said she and Jax were exclusive, so she couldn't spend anytime alone with me. She phrased it more tactfully and graciously than that. It was nice that she actually called and told me instead of ducking my phone calls."

"She and Jax are really serious about each other. She isn't just a fling for him. I don't know if that makes it easier or harder."

"I haven't had feelings for a girl in a long time. She's really great. Smart, funny and beautiful."

"Believe it or not, Scarlett and I have become friends."

"I should have known I wouldn't get her away from Jax, but I had to give it a shot."

Tara finished her beer and got to her feet.

"Sure you don't want to stay for dinner?"

"My stomachs still in knots from Kohn."

"I'll call you when I know something."

"Thanks Hale."

He walked out the garden gate and returned to his barbeque. He flipped the chicken and returned to his chair.

He thought about Scarlett and cosmic destiny. Maybe he still had some kind of chance with her.


	335. Chapter 335

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 335 Stand Out in a Crowd**_

"

Esai Alvarez had been in gun fights, knife fights and good old fashioned fistfights, but what he was about to do scared him much more; he was walking into a beauty college in a strip mall to get his hair done. He had always been to barbers, but the hairstyle he had in mind was too complicated for a barber.

When he told the receptionist what he wanted done to his hair, she'd looked at him, his hair and then back at him clearly skeptical. A few minutes later, he was sitting in a chair with a plastic cape over him. His transformation was just beginning.

He'd come up with the idea to radically change his look. He might not be as handsome, but he was willing to sacrifice looks to stay alive until he worked out his current problem—being hunted by the Mayans and SAMCRO.

A young woman in her twenties came over to him and listened as he explained what he wanted. She left and returned with a large ring with swatches of artificial hair in at least thirty different shades from the palest blonde to the darkest black. He immediately found the platinum blonde shade he wanted. He didn't want wheat blonde, pale blonde and especially not Jax Teller blonde. He wanted rock star platinum blonde.

When the idea came to him to dramatically change his appearance, he'd gone to a drugstore and looked at the hair color products. Changing the color especially to such a light shade from his dark brown hair seemed like it might be beyond him. He thought going to a beauty college would give him the best possible outcome.

Six hours later, he emerged slightly dazed from the process. It had been an ordeal. Changing his hairstyle had taken less than fifteen minutes. He had the sides cropped shorter and had the top left longer. The color change had been a nightmare complete with chemical burns to his scalp.

Before she could make him a platinum blonde, she'd consulted with the instructor. She'd applied bleach to lighten his hair several times before applying the stuff that would make his hair platinum.

All the beauty school students came over to look at his now platinum hair. It wasn't about him. It was all about how his hair had been transformed into that head turning platinum blonde.

Next, he went into a clothing store and got new clothes. He'd had to ignore his own instincts. No more biker looking clothing. He was now going with a different look—camouflage both in clothing and to fit into his new environment.

With khakis, a camo shirt, a lightweight wind breaker jacket to hide his shoulder holster and Sig Sauer and a pair of mirrored sunglasses, he could pass his mother and even his father and they wouldn't recognize him.

He hadn't realized how bright his hair color would look against his skin, but it was so startling it drew people's attention to his hair and not his face. Sometimes the best way to disappear was to stand out in a crowd.

He was betting his life this was true.


	336. Chapter 336

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 336 Back to the Real World**_

"

Jax and Scarlett were in bed enjoying one last night before returning to Charming. In the morning, Jax would drive her to her physio appointment and then afterwards, he would drive them back to Charming.

Scarlett was sitting with her back against the bed propped up by pillows. Jax was lying on his side looking at her.

"I'm going to miss this place," Jax said. "It's just peaceful and beautiful here."

"I think it's the water. It calms me. We can come here whenever you want. It's nice even in the winter when it's too cold to swim. I like to turn on the fireplace and look out over the water."

"Sounds romantic just the two of us nothing to do except . . ." he said flashing her that Jax Teller grin that could melt the coldest of women's hearts.

"Reading a good book or watching a movie together," Scarlett said primly finishing his sentence.

"You're starting to thaw. It's seeing my butt so many times when you changed my bandages," Jax said. "It's irresistible."

"Ouch," Scarlett said. She laughed so hard she had to wrap her arms around her middle to keep the muscles in her back from pulling.

"It's a good thing I have a healthy ego or your laughter would crush me."

"I never want to hurt you," Scarlett said suddenly serious. "I will never forget that night at the clubhouse."

"It's all good," Jax said with a smile. "I got a couple of cool new scars, got you as my personal nurse and you told me you loved me. How long do you think it would have taken you to tell me that if my life hadn't been in jeopardy?"

"I don't know. I'd been fighting it because I thought only weak people fell in love and I would never let it happen to me. When I saw you, it hit me like a concrete block to the head. I loved you and I had to make sure you were OK."

"I'll never forget your words—I love you, don't die," Jax said.

"I know how to motivate a man," she said grinning.

"Actually if you had told me that you would have sex with me if I didn't die, that would have given me even more motivation."

Scarlett blushed and looked away shyly.

"Is there ever a time when you don't think of sex?"

Jax laughed.

"No. Sex is the soundtrack of a man's life. It's always there. I've never tried to shut it off. I mean, what if I quit thinking about sex all the time? Would I still be Jax Teller?"

Scarlett laughed carefully wrapping her arm around her waist.

"I don't think the police would come and take your ID away or your MC would take away your cut. You might lose some of your swagger."

"Swagger, huh? Like a pirate?"

"No. More like a big time rock star."

"That's a lot of swagger."

Scarlett frowned.

"Now that I think of it, you have lost some of your swagger. It's the crutch. It's impeding the swagger."

"Damn. It's a good thing for me that it's temporary."

"It's a good thing for you that I don't mind you with less than your full amount of swagger."

"I should probably stay overnight tomorrow night. It will be your first night at your new place. Could be scary for you," Jax said.

"Really?" Scarlett smiled. "Scary? I've got guns. You don't need an excuse. You can stay tomorrow. My dad is coming on Wednesday to help me with some other stuff."

"If he's going to be in town, he could come by the clubhouse Friday after Church."

"He's leaving Friday afternoon," Scarlett said.

"You think you could come by Friday evening and give a money laundering lesson to the MC?"

"With props?"

"Sure."

"I can do that. It will be confidential, right?"

"Absolutely. After, I want to kind of introduce you around the clubhouse."

"OK," Scarlett said.

She did her best to sound enthusiastic, but she hated being around Clay. She may have tricked him into believing she wasn't his daughter, but she had to keep her guard up whenever she was around him. A simple slip of the tongue could get her killed.

 _ **Next Up: Happy Hunting**_


	337. Chapter 337

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 337 Ford Fiesta**_

"

Happy listened closely to the voice on his cell phone. It was a tip on Esai Alvarez.

"Boss," Happy said walking up to Clay. "I got a hot tip on where little Esai is hiding. I need to work this lead now."

"No more beating up Mayans," Clay reminded him.

"No more beating up or _killing_ Mayans unless it's Esai or Hector Salazar. I got it boss."

"Bring the prospect with you. Teach him something."

"You got it. Hey prospect!" Happy yelled.

Sack jogged up to Happy.

"We're going on a hunt. Just you and me. You got your gun?"

"Yes."

"Let's go."

Sack longed to ask questions, but prospects weren't really supposed to ask questions. It was just part of the prospect process. He'd been in the military for a few years, so he didn't find the not asking questions thing a big deal.

What was a big deal was getting sent off on a hunt with Happy. Every brother had his quirks. Most were not a big deal. Tig was one of the quirkier guys, but that was mostly around his sexual appetites. Happy was the one brother who flat out scared him because he was either a sociopath or a psychopath or maybe both. He hoped that he returned to TM alive and mostly unhurt.

As they walked out to their bikes, Happy explained they were hunting Esai Alvarez. Sack was excited. Being in on catching Esai would make him look good to SAMCRO. Who knows? Maybe they would patch him in early. It didn't hurt to dream.

Just getting to the location was turning into a hair raising adventure. Happy wasn't riding normally. He was weaving in and out of traffic and taking freeway off ramps at the last minute causing them to cross four lanes of traffic to make the off ramp. Sack realized that Happy was testing his riding ability. He had forgotten one of the basic rules of being a prospect—everything is a test.

Happy stopped in front of a dingy ramshackle motel that had seen better days 50 years ago. Sack trailed him into the office.

"Hey beautiful, " Happy said smiling at a fifty-something woman with curly gray haired.

"You know that flattery stuff doesn't work," she said tartly.

"Just the truth," Happy protested. He pulled out his phone and showed her a couple of pictures of Esai.

"Is this the guy you saw?"

"Yeah. He's been here a couple of days. Hasn't checked out yet. Room 19."

"Thanks," Happy said slipping some cash into the woman's hand.

They turned to leave.

"Wait a second. I just remembered that he isn't riding a bike. Told me when he paid for his room last that he'd traded it for a car. It think it was a bright yellow Ford Fiesta."

"Thanks, beautiful," Happy said winking at the woman.

"OK, prospect, take off your cut and hand it to me."

"I didn't think we were supposed to ever take off our cuts."

"This is an exception. I want you to knock on his door. He won't open it if he sees you're wearing a cut."

"This isn't a trick?"

"No."

Sack took off is cut and handed it to Happy. They walked down to the room and Sack knocked on the door. No answer.

"We'll go across the street to that coffee shop and watch the room," Happy said. "All we have to do is wait until he comes back or leaves if he's in his room and just not answering his door."

Sack put on his cut and they got back on their bikes.

"Yellow Ford Fiesta," Sack said pointing at a car turning into the parking lot.

"Let's check it out," Happy said.

As soon as they got on their bikes, the Fiesta turned around and left the parking lot. The chase was on!

"

 _ **Author's Note: Thanks to the guest reviewer who wanted more Scarlett in upcoming chapters. I appreciate the feedback since most readers can't be bothered to provide any input at all into this story.**_

 _ **I heard you and as I was laying out the next two plot arcs, there will be much more Scarlett beginning with the next chapter.**_

 _ **Thanks for your help in improving my story. I wish other readers were as giving and helpful as you. MV**_


	338. Chapter 338

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 338 Crazy Love**_

"

They had switched back to Scarlett's Corvette, removed the disguises they wore for her physio appointment and were on the drive back to Charming.

"How did your therapy go to today?"

"When I was going up the stairs, I got this feeling in my back that means I'm going to get hit with a giant wave of pain in a couple of hours that lasts until I kill it with painkillers at bedtime.

"I told my therapist, so she stretched out my legs. If I don't get the wave of pain, I'll know how to handle that pain."

"Can you stretch out your legs by yourself?"

"No. I can't even lift my legs, but I'm going to figure out a way to do it."

"I'll do it."

"You wouldn't mind?"

"Scars, this is when you make me angry," he said looking over at her while they were stopped at a red light."

"What did I do?" she asked bewildered.

"You took care of me. I will take care of you. That's how this works."

Scarlett watched him as he continued their drive.

"I'm not used to having anyone help me except my dad."

"Now you have me too."

He leaned over at the next red light and kissed her.

"You're used to having people help you with your MC. It's going to be an adjustment getting used to having someone else who can help me."

"It will be worth it," Jax said with a grin. "Remember what my ass looks like?"

Scarlett wrapped her arms around herself and burst into laughter.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been truly happy. Falling in love with Jax brought her more joy than she could ever have imagined.

The problem was she couldn't stay happy for long. She'd start worrying about some crazy thing—her mother had called it borrowing trouble. This time, she would refuse to give in to the negative thoughts that were already beginning to creep into her mind.

It hit her. Her mind slammed on the brakes. There was something that she was overlooking. It wasn't that Jax might have killed her sister Violet. She didn't believe that. She remembered how he'd pounded on her door that evening when a blonde woman's body had been found and he was desperately trying to find out if it were her. She believed there was a serial killer out there and it wasn't Jax.

This might be an even crazier idea. Jax showed her a wedding picture of his mother, Clay and JT. Jax looked nothing like either of his parents. Both had dark hair and eyes. Jax had a resemblance to Clay. They both had light eyes and the same build. She didn't resemblance Clay much but she had his curly wavy hair.

The idea of Gemma sleeping with both JT and Clay wasn't all that surprising. When Gemma got pregnant she might have even thought JT was the father. As anyone who has watched a little daytime TV knows, the mother doesn't always get the name of the father right.

Was it possible that Clay was really Jax's father or was she being crazy? She knew she was probably being crazy, but she had to know if Jax were her half brother before she fell anymore deeply in love with him.

She didn't want to know, but she had to know. She'd send their toothbrushes for DNA testing. She had to know if she were in love with her half brother.


	339. Chapter 339

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 339 Missed Me**_

"

Esai Alvarez or Eddie Aliso as he was now calling himself was just about to return to his motel room when he spotted the motorbikes and saw a member of SAMCRO and a prospect. Five minutes earlier and they would have found him.

He drove right past the two guys. Neither guy took a second look at a guy in a yellow Ford Fiesta with platinum blonde hair. He'd hated giving up his bike, but it drew too much attention. SAMCRO was on his trail. He'd made the right call getting the car and changing his hair.

The best part was no one had seen him in his yellow car with his bright hair at the motel. At least he had that going for him. SAMCRO might be on his tail, but they didn't know what he looked like anymore. The chemical burns to his scalp were definitely worth it.

He was rethinking his plan to kill his father and members of SAMCRO. It appealed to his angry side. It was kill or be killed. Now that he was calmer, he was thinking less emotionally, killing his father and some of the Sons wouldn't stop the hunt for him. If anything, it would add more heat to the hunt.

If he could come up with something of value, there might be a way of buying his way out of trouble. If only he could think of something . . .


	340. Chapter 340

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 340 Worry, Worry, Worry**_

"

Scarlett was almost positive she was borrowing trouble thinking that Jax might be Clay's son. Still, she couldn't shake the thought. There would be no way to get the idea out of her brain until she got their DNA tested. This was the last time she was going to let crazy thoughts cloud her happiness.

They stopped and picked up a blow up bed, bedding, towels and some other necessities. In addition to the furnishing, Jacob Hale was also leaving the washer and dryer in his condo.

"It's going to be so nice to not be living in a motel anymore," Scarlett said.

She had used the garage door opener that Jacob gave her with the keys to the condo to open the garage door so Jax could park her car. She closed the door behind them and unlocked the door.

"This is nice," Jax said looking around.

"It's kind of bland, but I'm just so happy that I don't have to get furniture."

The condo was done with beige furniture and white walls. Nothing to love and nothing to hate was the way Scarlett saw it. She could add little splashes of color and transform the look of the place.

The door opened into the kitchen and living area. There was a sliding glass door in the kitchen that opened on a small patio. On the other side, there was a small hall leading to a bathroom and another room. Scarlett was going to use that as a bedroom until she was more physically able to go upstairs. There was a larger master bedroom and a loft that Jacob had made into an office.

He'd left everything including flat screen TVs in the living room, downstairs room and upstairs master bedroom. The only things he took with him were household goods like dishes, cleaning supplies and bedding.

"The bed is going to go in the room downstairs. I've ordered a king sized bed for upstairs, but it isn't coming for a few days."

"Such a big bed," Jax said with eyes sparkling with mischief.

"I like a lot of room when I sleep."

"Just for sleeping?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh," Scarlett said with a grin.

Jax carried the box the bed was in into what was going to be the downstairs bedroom. He was walking without crutches but he had a pronounced limp.

"I don't know if I have enough air to blow this thing up."

Scarlett laughed.

"It comes with this device that does that. It also sucks the air out too. This one is high like the height of a regular bed. If it was on the floor, I'd never be able to get out of it. I'm going to go wash the sheets."

The washer and dryer were out in the garage. She put the all white bedding in the washer and added detergent. By the time she returned to the bedroom, Jax already had the bed up and he was laying on it.

"I thought the blow up bed was kind of crazy, but I think this is more comfortable than my bed at home."

"It's great because you can make it softer or harder. The only thing is you have to put a blanket on it because the cold from the vinyl will come through and make you cold."

For dinner, they sat around the white kitchen table eating fried chicken, potato salad, Cole slaw iced teas with brownies for dessert. It was a tradition beginning with her father. Whenever they moved, they would always get fried chicken on their first night in a new place. She still followed the same tradition when she moved into her own place without her father.

"My dad's coming tomorrow for a couple of days."

"I was going to go to TM for awhile tomorrow."

"Can you come for dinner? My dad's making Thai food."

"Your dad knows how to make Thai food?"

"When I was thirteen, we took a couple of cooking classes together. We were kind of fighting a bit then and the cooking classes kind of helped bring us together."

"I'm not sure I've ever eaten Thai food. Just tell me what time."

"I'll call you."

Jacob and Scarlett transferred the utilities including the cable into her name. He'd made it as easy as possible for his tenant. Scarlett was sure that having David give her a reference had helped.

Jax and Scarlett watched DVDs in bed. Jax fell asleep early. Scarlett had drugged Jax with a heavy dose of sleeping pills in his iced tea.

She felt great guilt over what she'd done to him, but until she knew he wasn't her half brother, she couldn't get romantic with him.

It shouldn't take too long to get the DNA tests. Just a few days and she'd know. She was just being crazy, but she had this haunting feeling that she was right about Jax's paternity.


	341. Chapter 341

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 341 Woof! Woof! Chucky Got Grabbed**_

"

Chucky was a bookkeeper and amateur criminal. He'd stolen some money here and there from his jobs and done a little insurance fraud. Nothing big, but still enough that the law took a dim view of his activities and put him in prison.

He got a lucky break when he got Otto for a cellie. They were each quirky, but somehow their quirkiness worked together. As a small man, Chucky needed protection and Otto liked to fight. It was a perfect fit.

When Chucky got out of prison, he got a job helping TM with the bookkeeping and doing any odd jobs they needed done. They weren't worried that he would steal from them. Friendship with Otto aside, you don't steal from SAMCRO without paying the price and it might be death. That was all the incentive he needed to stay honest.

Some people liked him and some loathed him. It had been like that as far back as he could remember. He was still trying to find himself. Lately, he liked pretending he was a Boston black and white terrier. That's why he was wearing black pants and white shirts almost exclusively.

He poured his coffee into a bowl and lapped it up before putting on his black leather collar and trotting around the neighborhood on his morning walk. He longed for the day when he would find a woman who would walk him on a leash.

As much as he liked living in Charming, he doubted he would find a woman who would participate in his dog life. He would probably have to move to San Francisco to find someone, but the city was too expensive for him to live in. Being a criminal bookkeeper kept the job offers from flooding in.

He was looking forward to lapping up a small bowl of orange juice before heading to TM. Just as he unlocked his door, a black hood was dropped over his head and he was shoved inside his apartment.

"Leave the bag over your head or I'll have to kill you if you see me."

The voice sounded strange. It reminded him of the voice changer the killer used in the _Scream_ movies. Despite the voice changer, Chucky believed this person was male.

"Woof!" Chucky said. When he got stressed, the dog side of him came out.

"Tell me what you know about the Sons business deals."

"TM," he said. He made a couple of nervous dog yips. "It just fixes cars and motorcycles."

"Tell me about their other business."

"That's all I know."

Chucky crashed to the floor. His legs had been kicked out from under him. He whined and rubbed his knees.

"I want to know about the guns."

"I don't . . ."

A kick to the ribs encouraged Chucky to talk. All he could do was whine loudly and curl into a ball.

"What the hell is with the whining?"

"You hurt me."

"I'm going to do more than hurt you if you don't tell what I want to know. The Sons run guns. Where is the warehouse?"

Another kick to the ribs caused more whining from Chucky.

"Why do you keep whining?" the man yelled.

"When I'm upset I go to my happy dog place."

That reply earned him a kick to the back.

"What do you know about Jax Teller?"

"He works at TM."

"What else?"

"That's all I know," Chucky said.

He whimpered as he took three more kicks to the back each one harder than the last.

"I know where you live. The next time I come back you better have some information for me," the man said.

He kicked Chucky in the back and finished the beating with a foot stomp to the head.

Chucky whimpered a couple of times before passing out.


	342. Chapter 342

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 342 Chucky Got Found**_

"

Chucky's eyes fluttered open as he was being loaded into the ambulance.

"I'll meet you at the hospital," Gemma called to him.

"Woof," Chucky replied in a weak, sad voice.

For all of his quirks and strangeness, Chucky was a reliable, punctual employee. When he was thirty minutes late, Gemma tried calling him. No answer. Fifteen minutes later, Gemma headed over to his apartment to check on him. After getting no response to her knock, she peeked in the windows. That's when she saw him from the kitchen window sprawled on the floor of his apartment and immediately called 911.

The hospital held him for a few hours to monitor his concussion. He had some contusions and cracked ribs. They were painful injuries but they would heal on their own.

David Hale came by in his capacity as Deputy Police Chief to take a report. Normally, he wouldn't handle a simple assault case, but since Chucky had an MC connection he wanted to personally handle the case.

Chucky knew how to talk to law enforcement. He told Hale the truth—up to a point—someone put a bag over his head, forced him inside his apartment and beat him. He made no mention of the questions the man had asked about the MC. Chucky told Hale the man told him that he didn't like his kind in the neighborhood. Chucky speculated that the man didn't like it that sometimes he acted like a dog. It was a classic hate crime, he told Hale.

Hale knew that he wouldn't get any useful information out of Chucky, but he had to try. There was always a chance—a very slim chance—that Chucky would make a slip and actually give him some useful information.

Chucky hadn't made a slip. He'd provided no useful information to him. This was going to end up being an unsolved assault. Even if by some miracle he found the assailant, Chucky wouldn't press charges. The MC would hand out their own form of punishment.

"Woof!" Hale said under his breath and chuckled as he left the hospital.


	343. Chapter 343

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 343 Dad Help**_

"

Scarlett had gotten a large supply of toothbrushes at Costco. She switched out the toothbrush Jax had used last night for a new one. If he noticed she'd tell him she'd knocked it in the toilet and the new one was a replacement. She put the toothbrush in a plastic bag and zipped it closed. She labeled it "John Smith" She took her own toothbrush dropped it in another bag labeled it "Jane Jones." Next she took the fork he'd used last night and sealed it in its own bag again with the "John Smith label". For her second sample, she put on lipstick and then rubbed it and some skin from her lips off with a Kleenex that she dropped it in a labeled zip bag.

It didn't take much DNA for a test, but she wanted to make sure she provided enough and by using two different sources, she was double checking the labs work.

Her father came in, his arms loaded down with a big box of dishes. Scarlett had ordered some things for her condo and sent them to her father's. He loaded the dishes and silverware into the dishwasher while she sat down and provided direction. With her back injury, she couldn't bend to load or unload the dishwasher. Her father would help her unload the dishwasher once the dishes were clean.

"You know how I always find things wrong even when they're not . . ." Scarlett began.

"You've found a fatal flaw with Jax," her father guessed.

"You aren't any fun. You could at least act surprise sometimes."

"I figured once you realized you were in love with Jax, you would have to find a reason why it would never work."

"This is a really good one," Scarlett said. She frowned. "It's an immediate relationship ender. I think I'm going to have to leave town too."

He took a seat across from her at the dining table.

"What is this relationship ending flaw?"

"I think he could be my half-brother. I think Clay's his father."

Decker thought that through for several moments.

"It is possible. I don't know Gemma so I have no way of knowing if she might have slept with Clay and JT."

"I was hoping you would think I was being crazy."

He shook his head.

"We could try to figure out where Clay was when Jax was conceived, but I don't think that would be even possible. The only way we'll know for sure is by doing a DNA test."

"I got samples from both of us. I know most places have kits and you have to do a swab or something. I can't let Jax know what I'm doing, so I can't do it that way."

"I'll find a place that will process the DNA quickly with your samples. How worried are you?"

"Gemma has dark hair and eyes and so does JT his maybe father. He's also short. Jax looks a lot more like Clay. I saw a picture of their wedding and Clay's looking down at Gemma's baby bump with an odd look on his face—either he wishes the baby were his or he knows the baby is his."

"Kids don't always look like their parents, but I know you won't be able to let this go until you have proof. I don't blame you. Finding out you are half-siblings is a relationship killer for most people."

The tone of his voice struck her as funny. She held herself as she laughed.

"Try to think of other things. In a few days you'll know the truth."

"I hope he's not my brother."

"So do I. I'll get out my laptop and start making calls and see what I can line up as far as the testing."

"Thank you, dad."

"Anything for my daughter."

"Thanks for not thinking I'm crazy. I almost wish you did think I'm crazy."

"We'll figure it out."

"I hope he's not my brother."

"Is he having dinner with us?"

"Yeah. I guess there's not much Thai food in Charming."

"That class we took was really fun once I got you there."

Scarlett smiled.

"I know. I was just going through teen rebellion."

Decker looked at his daughter and decided this wasn't anywhere close to the time to tell her that he had figured out the plan to get Clay kicked out of the MC and put in prison without protection.

If Clay turned out to be Jax's father, they might not ever put the plan into action. Scarlett was right. She might need to leave town.


	344. Chapter 344

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 344 Emergency Meeting**_

"

Once Gemma got a couple of minutes alone with Chucky at the hospital, he told her the true story of how he was attacked and beaten when he refused to answer questions about the MC. Gemma walked outside the hospital and made a quick call to Clay to fill him in.

This was Jax's first day back at TM since getting shot and the guys were standing around drinking coffee and welcoming him back to work when Clay called an emergency meeting.

Everyone took their seats at the table Tig on Clay's right, Jax on his left, Bobby, Juice, Chibs, Opie, Piney and Happy in their usual places. Clay allowed Sack in the meeting, but in keeping with his prospect status, he wasn't permitted to sit at the table. He sat with his chair against the wall. Clay banged the gavel bringing the meeting to order.

"Gemma's at the hospital with Chucky. He got jumped on his way back from his morning walk. The person put a bag over his head and used one of those voice changers. That's what he thinks anyway. Despite the voice changer, Chucky thinks it was a man who attacked him. He wanted to know about TM and the MC. Wanted to know about the gun running business and where the gun warehouse is. Chucky told him he didn't know."

"Kind of a desperate tactic," Jax said.

"Chucky doesn't know anything," Tig said.

"The guy beating Chucky also asked about you," Clay said to Jax.

"You think it could be Esai Alvarez looking to finish his attempt to kill me?"

"I don't know," Clay said.

"It was a pretty stupid attempt," Tig said.

"The attack at the pub was stupid," Chibs said.

"If they had been better shots or had better guns, they might have succeeded," Jax said.

"It could be Alvarez. Be just like him to break the agreement," Piney said.

"I might believe that, but the all chapters president Nero was serious about not wanting war with the Sons. I don't think this is Mayan," Clay said.

"Tara's ex is in town. He's ATF, but he isn't here on a case. Maybe he has some fantasy about bringing us down and getting her back," Jax said.

"You think he's a rogue ATF agent?" Opie asked.

"It's possible. If it's him, he can't stay in town forever," Jax said. "We just need to be cautious and follow warehouse procedures. Keep things tight."

"It could be Esai Alvarez's idiot son. He's running out of money, wants to get the guns and wants to kill Jax as revenge," Opie said. "Maybe he thinks that could get him back in good with his father."

"Why don't you update Jax on your hunt for Esai?" Clay suggested to Happy.

Happy didn't look enthusiastic about answering the question, but Happy didn't have many facial expressions, so it was possible he was excited about answering the question.

"Me and the prospect were following up on a tip from a hotel clerk I know. He had been staying there."

"What else?" Clay prompted. "The part about the room."

Happy's jaw clenched and this time there was no mistaking the lack of enthusiasm.

"I bribed the clerk to get me a duplicate key."

"How much did it cost you?" Clay prompted.

Happy shook his head and stared at the table.

"It didn't cost money. Didn't have any condoms. She wouldn't give me the card without sex," Happy shook his head sadly. "I had to go down south."

The table of men burst into laughter and banged on the table with their fists. Sack bit his lip desperately trying to hold back laugher. As a prospect laughing at Happy could get him a beat down or get him tossed completely from the MC.

"I can't get the taste out of my mouth," Happy said. "I think she had a yeast infection."

Once again the table exploding with laughter and the men banged on the table. It was too much for Sack. He covered his mouth with his right hand and laughed quietly hoping his hand would muffle the sound.


	345. Chapter 345

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 345 Not Close Enough**_

"

Happy turned his head to see if Sack was laughing. He was coughing, but it sounded suspiciously like laughing. Happy's eyes narrowed and he clenched his jaw. The color drained from Sack's face and his coughing/laughing ended.

"Way to have a brother's back," Jax said. "Did you find anything?"

"There was a small bag of clothes, a toothbrush, some toothpaste and a razor. No cut. We watched his room from a coffee shop across the street. He never went back. Either he saw us or the hotel clerk tipped him off that we were looking for him."

"You could go back see if she has seen him again," Tig suggested.

"I'm sure she would be happy to see you again," Chibs added.

Happy shook his head and groaned.

"Gemma's going to find Chucky a new place to live," Clay said. "He's going to stay in the apartment unless a brother needs it. Gemma overheard Chucky talking to Hale."

"It figures that Hale would be the one to interview Chucky," Jax said.

"Chucky told him that he thought he'd been attacked because some people don't like his kind," Clay said.

"What kind is that?" Jax asked.

"The kind that likes to act like a dog sometimes," Clay replied. "He told Hale it's a hate crime."

Everyone chuckled except Happy who was still remembering the price he'd paid to get Esai's room card.


	346. Chapter 346

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 346 Possible New Plan**_

"

That damned little dog man hadn't been of any help at all about the Sons gun running. Josh Kohn knew he as running out of time. He had been dodging the deputy police chief's efforts to set up a meeting between him and June Stahl a local ATF agent. If he didn't bring down the Sons, he could kiss his career good-bye.

If he could find where the Sons stored their weapons, he could restore his career, get Tara to fall back in love with him and _maybe_ even meet his idol, James Comey, his favorite former FBI director.

He needed to find that gun warehouse. They sold guns. They had to have a place to store them. He had tried following some of the Sons, but they always managed to lose him. He was a trained ATF agent. He should know how to catch the Sons. Those white trash bikers couldn't outthink him; he had a college degree.

He didn't think Tara knew anything about the gun running. She'd never made any mention of any illegal activities by the Sons when they had been together. He hadn't asked any questions. He'd been more concerned about winning her heart than destroying the Sons.

He hadn't seen Tara with Teller, but he couldn't watch her 24/7. He believed her though that she and Teller weren't together. He was with the blonde whore.

She might know something about the gun running. A little pillow talk. Teller might have told her something useful.

Hitting a woman wouldn't be a problem for him. Women wanted equality. Let them have it. That meant they had to be prepared to take a hit like a man and not whine about it.

The blonde whore wasn't in any shape to fight him. It would be easy to find her. He'd followed her over to some empty store she was turning into some kind of shop. If he couldn't get any information out of her, he would at least enjoy hitting her.


	347. Chapter 347

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 347 Fingers Issue**_

"

Scarlett let Jax into the condo, led him into the kitchen where they took seats at the kitchen table sitting side by side. Scarlett's dad Decker was chopping onions.

"My back injury does have some advantages," Scarlett said with a smile. "I usually end up doing all the prep work, which when you cook Asian food is most of the work, but it's hard for me to stand for much longer than it takes to dice half an onion."

"Are you any good with a knife?" Decker asked Jax.

"Not a kitchen knife."

"I took a class that lasted six weeks learning knife skills a few years ago. There was a woman I thought might make Scarlett a good stepmother."

"Liar," Scarlett said. "If you were interested in a woman, it wasn't to make me a good stepmother."

"I heard you got shot."

"Yeah, I took some rounds including a couple to the vest. Saved my life thanks to you for giving it to me and Scarlett for reminding me to wear it."

"I brought you a new one. I wonder where I left it."

"You put it on my bed," Scarlett said tartly.

"Oh, yeah. That's right."

"Thanks," Jax said chuckling. "I appreciate it."

"I hope you can keep from getting shot for a little longer this time. Where did you get shot at?"

"The butt and the upper thigh," Jax said.

"I noticed you had a bit of a limp."

"I'll never forget that night. Scarlett came to the clubhouse and terrorized the guys."

Her father looked at her sternly.

"We've talked about your behavior."

"Dad you know my behavior is always . . ."

"On point," Scarlett and her father finished in unison.

"Remember what I told you. If you can't behave in MC clubhouses before long you'll get banned from all of them. What did you do this time?"

"This time?" Jax asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Scarlett has a history," her father said shaking his head sadly.

"I didn't do anything. Jax is just being dramatic."

"She threatened to break a bottle and jam it so far up his ass, he'd be spitting glass. She also told him she was going to shoot him."

"What did he do?"

"He almost killed Jax trying to dig out the bullets," Scarlett said.

"Did you have your gun with you?"

"Yes."

"Sorry Jax. I don't see the problem here. The guy was hurting you and Scarlett was going to stop him. She had her gun with her. I taught her to never threaten to shoot someone unless she had her gun with her. She did that."

"So how many clubhouses have you gotten banned from?"

Jax had suspected that she was playing him. She had a mischievous sparkle in her green eyes.

"Yours could be the first. That guy deserved what I said to him. He was drunk and he was trying to cut out bullets. He could have hit arteries or veins and Jax would have bled out," Scarlett frowned. "I just remembered something. He did cut you and you were bleeding. Why don't you tell my father how that worked out for you and the guy with the strange hair?"

Not only had she and her father played him, she'd maneuvered him into a situation where he would have to confess what had happened to him with Juice. She could barely keep herself from grinning at his discomfort. He was going to have to come up with some kind of payback.

"The guy that was trying to get the bullets out—he'd been a medic in the military until he got kicked out—needed to apply direct pressure to the shot area. The guy helping him needed to plug the holes."

Decker nodded.

"So that would mean that the holes would have been in either or both your leg or your butt," he said.

"It was great. The guy with the weird hair was worried that it was gay. Have you and that guy been able to make eye contact yet?" Scarlett asked with a big grin.

"It wasn't bad enough to get all shot up, but Scarlett and Tara were laughing over the . . . fingers issue," Jax said.

"It wasn't over you getting shot. It was that the guy was worried about it being gay," Scarlett said.

"That sounds fair enough to me," Decker said.

"My dad is never going to take your side over mine," Scarlett said.

Decker turned out to be a great cook and Jax discovered he liked the Thai noodle dish he'd made. It had ground pork, shrimp and eggs. What really made the dish were the chopped peanuts and lime wedges that garnished the dish. He'd tried the dish without the lime and it was great. He used a lime wedge over a portion of his serving and it tasted even better.

"Best Thai food I've ever had," Jax said.

"Sometimes I like to make this dish with just noodles and eat it cold," Scarlett said. "It's that combination of spices and that sauce."

Jax found himself enjoying the evening. There was an easy give and take between father and daughter. He fit in with them almost effortlessly.

He felt the strong bond of love between father and daughter. It was even more surprising because they weren't related by blood.


	348. Chapter 348

1

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 348 Mad Love**_

"

Nothing was going to cheer up Tig tonight including planning out how she was going to kill Louise. The blonde whore had moved into Hale's condo and Jax had already spent the night with her. She couldn't believe how Jax was always with her. He was over there again tonight. Son of a bitch! Fuck life! It just wasn't fair.

If life were fair, Jax would see her as his perfect match. It would be like the princess who kisses the frog only this would be the Prince of Charming who kisses her and then he would see her as she was on the inside a beautiful woman.

She shut her eyes and pictured herself stalking and killing Louise, but it just didn't feel as good as it had before. She imagined stalking and killing the blonde whore. That felt a lot better. Someone would have to console Jax. That could be the time when she could make her move and the Prince would kiss her.

There was only one thing that kept her from killing the blonde whore and that was if Jax ever discovered that she'd killed the blonde whore, he would come after her. Jax was smart. It was one of the reasons she loved him. It was scary though because he was smarter than she was.

She needed to come up with something to drive a wedge between Jax and the blonde whore and destroy their relationship. Then she could kill her. Jax wouldn't come after her then.

For now, she picked up her Harlequin romance novel _To Catch a Billionaire_ and continued reading.


	349. Chapter 349

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 349 Mission Not Impossible**_

"

Scarlett and her father were sitting in the living room on the big beige sofa.

"That was fun," Decker said. "The more I see Jax, the more I like him."

"I never expected to like him. I thought he would just be an MC thug that I could easily manipulate."

"There's a side to him that won't have a problem solving something with his fists if needed, but he's a smart guy. He'll be a good leader."

"As long as he doesn't plan on leading me," Scarlett said. "I told him I don't like to be told what to do."

"Do you remember when you told me that when you were little?"

"I don't think so."

"That's because you quit saying it to me. You said I couldn't tell you what to do and I told you to breathe. My hard-headed little daughter held her breath. When you finally took a breath, you were so mad," her father said chuckling.

"That does sound like me," she admitted. "I really hope Jax isn't my half-brother. I guess it's better to get my heart broken now than to fall deeper in love. Maybe I'd rather not know."

"It's too late. Once the thought entered your head, you knew you had to know. It will drive you crazy until you find out."

"It's already driving me crazy."

"We'll know in a few days. I'll drop off the samples tomorrow and in 48 to 72 hours we should know. I'm going to head up to bed. I need to get an early start in the morning. I'm sure I'll be gone by the time you get up."

He gave his daughter a hug before heading upstairs.

"

"***************************************"

"

Decker was in his beige pick up truck on his way by seven. He parked on the street and waited. About an hour later, he watched Clay leave on his bike. Ten minutes or so later, Gemma came out, got in her car and left.

He waited twenty minutes just in case one of them forgot something and returned to the house. Everything about his appearance was designed to not be remembered. He was wearing khaki pants, khaki work shirt and work boots. He'd added a beige wind breaker, sunglasses and a hat. It gave him a little more of a disguise. Beige was the color of small town camouflage. He grabbed a clipboard and left the truck.

Decker was betting that Clay wouldn't use an alarm system. He was the president of SAMCRO, Clay would believe that would make him immune to burglars. There was a promising window in the back that was open. He could climb through there, but he'd found that someone had left the patio door open a couple of inches and hadn't locked the screen door.

Each time he entered a place like this, he wondered if this would be the time he'd trigger an alarm. It wouldn't matter if he did trip an alarm. He would be in and out in under a minute.

He pulled on a pair of latex gloves and entered the house. No alarm. He'd gotten the psychology right. He quickly walked through the house heading for the bedrooms. He found what he was looking for out in the hall. It was a clothes hamper. He opened the hamper, dug swiftly through it until he found a pair of Clay's briefs, put them in the plastic bag inside his wind breaker and left. As he left, he made sure he returned the patio door back to the exact amount it was open.

From leaving the truck to returning to the truck, it had taken him less them two minutes.


	350. Chapter 350

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 _ **Chapter 350 Bait and Switch**_

"

It was about time he got a lead. He was just surprised it came from the dumb as a box of rocks deputy police chief David Hale. These small town police departments were a joke. It was no wonder the Sons ran this town. Someone had to do it.

He parked up his current rental car, a silver Nissan in the visitors' parking lot and headed into the police department.

"I'm Josh Kohn. I have an appointment with deputy police chief Hale," he told the woman at the counter.

"Just a moment."

"Glad you were able to make it," Hale said opening the door that led to the detective section of the police department. He escorted him back to a conference room.

"You said you had a lead on the Sons," Josh said. He didn't want to waste a lot of time. He wanted the information and then he was going to run this lead down until he had what he needed to take down the Sons and Jax Teller.

He had barely had time to sit down before a blonde woman poked her head into the room.

"Mind if I join?" she asked. "I'm June Stahl. Senior ATF agent in charge of this area."

That son of a bitch David Hale had tricked him into this. He had been trying to get him to meet June Stahl and he'd gotten out of every meeting. Damn that stupid hick!

"This is a classified secret investigation."

June walked into the room and took a seat across from him and next to Hale.

"You know who else doesn't know about this classified secret investigation?" June purred. "Your boss," she said with a big grin.

That woman was such a bitch. She acted liked she'd slammed some kind of trap closed on him. He had a surprise for her. She would never trap him. He was too smart for her.

"He hasn't been read in on it," Josh said.

"OK," she said shrugging off his comment. "How are you doing on it? Got anything on the Sons?"

"You haven't been read in on it either."

"You know what Joshy?" June asked patting his hand. "You haven't been read in on it because there is no such investigation."

"There are things that happen at ATF that you don't know about," he said calmly, bluffing like crazy.

"I'll tell you what, you're going to lose your career and your freedom," June said. Her face changed. This was the cold, driven, ruthless professional she thought she was. "No one comes into my territory and launches an illegal investigation. No one fucks with me."

"You're corrupt. That's why this is _my_ investigation."

David Hale watched in silence as the two ATF agents held this turf war.

"Enjoy it while you can, baby," June taunted him. "I'm going to get your sorry ass fired. Turns out you've been a naughty boy at work and HR and legal are just reviewing the paperwork. A couple of days and it's all over for you."

"Check your ego bitch. You're not in my chain of command. So is there a lead, Hale?"

"No."

Kohn got to his feet.

"I'm bringing down the Sons and you two can sit and watch and see how it's done."

He left them sitting there, his head held high. There wasn't anything about his posture that showed that he was worried at all. Inside he was consumed with worry. He had to get something on the Sons and he didn't care how he did it.

He drove over to the dog/man's garage apartment and peered in the windows. Not only was the guy not there, it looked like he'd moved. Son of a bitch! How the hell could he take down the Sons? It was the only way he was going to get out of this mess, save his job and get Tara back.


	351. Chapter 351

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 351** _ **Friday Night Plans**_

"

Jax had invited her to explain money laundering to the MC at the end of Church. He explained that was MC speak for the club meetings every Friday night. Afterwards he wanted to introduce her around the clubhouse.

Scarlett was worried not about the money laundering presentation or even the introducing around, but about keeping Jax's hands and lips off hers. She'd never had willpower problems with men. She thought that she was immune. Turned out she wasn't immune. She'd just never crossed paths with a man soaked in sex appeal like Jax Teller. A man that might be her brother, she reminded herself. That would be such a cruel twist and that was why she was becoming more and more convinced it was going to turn out to be true. That was exactly the kind of thing that happened to her.

She decided to give Tara a call and see if there was anything that she needed to know about the clubhouse.

"I don't think you will have any problems," Tara said after Scarlett told her about her Friday night plans. "Just don't take any back talk from the crow-eaters. They can be really mean. At least that was the way it was back in my day. I wonder if that porn whore Ima will be there. She was always throwing herself at Jax."

"What does she look?"

"Tall skinny blonde. Vacant look in the eyes."

"After all these years, I'm sure that they've probably hooked up by now. I'm still going to watch out for her though."

"When Jax and I were together, the girls were always all over him."

"That will only happen once with me," Scarlett said. "He can be with a crow-eater or with me. He only gets one chance at that decision."

"That was the problem with me. I was always so insecure. I would put up with things I didn't like because I didn't want to cause trouble. I didn't want to lose Jax. He was the best guy in high school."

"I am so glad my high school years are behind me," Scarlett said shuddering. "A miserable time of life."

"You had a hard time in high school?" Tara asked surprise in her voice.

"We moved a lot and I tend to not fit in. Now, I'm OK with being kind of a loner. Back then, I felt defective."

"Looking at you, Scarlett, I never would have imagined that."

"I still feel defective a lot of the time and it doesn't have anything to do with my back."

"I guess we never know what's going on inside someone else."

"How are things going with Eric? Is he still out of town?"

"Yes. Who knew a children's book author would travel so much? I want you to meet him and get your opinion. Maybe double date."

"Don't take any boat trips until I get a chance to check this guy out. I don't want you to end up thrown overboard tied to an anchor."

"Thanks for that," Tara said laughing. "If Ima's at the clubhouse and you get a chance, say something mean to her for me."

"I'll do that. Thanks for the tips Tara."

Scarlett wasn't feeling any better after her call to Tara. She just couldn't imagine how she was going to find her willpower to resist Jax for these next three days without arousing his suspicion.

Three days. It wasn't forever. She could get through that. It might only be two days. She could definitely get through that. Just resist Jax for two or three days. It should be easy. That's right. Easy.

"

 **Author's Note:** _ **Over the next months, I will be going back and rewriting chapters, writing summaries and adding summaries for blocks of chapters. It won't be every chapter. I think a summary covering a block of chapters will work better.**_

 _ **This story has grown to be larger than I ever imagined or I would have been smarter and done the summaries as I wrote each chapter to use for me. Live and learn.**_

 _ **I will update you on my progress. The block summaries will be posted at the end of chapters. I will be uploading the rewritten chapters in blocks of ten chapters. I think I will also do some lists of funny chapters or the most romantic chapters sometimes I like to go back and read chapters over.**_


	352. Chapter 352

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 352** _ **Dodge**_

"

Clay had talked to Lowen about the Bucky Jeffers lawsuit. She advised him to get Bucky to dismiss him from the lawsuit otherwise he could drag him through costly depositions and defense costs. It wasn't right, but it was how the legal system worked. Keeping that in mind, Clay had gone to visit Bucky.

"How are you doing Bucky?" Clay asked his lips stretched into a smile. He wanted to wrap his hands around the scrawny bastard's neck and squeeze the life out of him.

Clay calmed himself. Bucky's time would come. Patience. He just needed to be patient. Once Bucky got out of assisted living, he would be vulnerable. He wanted to get Bucky to drop him from the lawsuit before he killed him. That would make it look like he didn't have a motive to kill Bucky.

This whole lawsuit thing was just the beginning steps in a greater blackmail plot by Bucky. He wasn't worried though. He was a lot smarter than Bucky.

Bucky was accident prone. There was an established pattern. All he had to do was come up with a fatal accident for him. Who knows? With Bucky's luck, the next accident could be fatal without Clay having to lift a finger.

"Doing good, Clay," Bucky said. He was sitting in an armchair with his feet up watching TV.

"Brought you some vaping stuff including illegal cartridges. The illegal stuff has to be better than the legal stuff."

He'd brought him a couple of different type of vaping devices along with fruit and dessert flavored cartridges that were outlawed.

Bucky smiled showing Clay the deteriorating state of his prison choppers.

"That's true."

"I was going to propose you for provisional status, but it suddenly occurred to me that I can't do that until you can ride. As soon as you can ride, I'll do that."

Bucky frowned, confusion on his face.

"Never thought about that. You're right though. I need to ride. I'm really disappointed. I was looking forward to visiting the clubhouse."

"You've got your whole life to hang around the clubhouse. Better stay here and focus on healing."

"I'm sure you're right. Thanks for the vaping stuff. They don't let you do that here, but since have we ever obeyed rules?"

"Forever rebels and outlaws."

"Sure right about that. Really love the MC and miss the brotherhood."

There was no way in hell Clay was going to let Bucky patch in. If he had to, he would tell Tig to vote against Bucky.

"I got to get back," Clay said.

"Hope you visit me soon," Bucky said in a sad voice.

"I'll bring you some more banned vaping cartridges," Clay said.

He hoped that the vaping cartridges would kill Bucky. It wouldn't be his fault. It would the fault of the vaping cartridge manufacturers.

OK, vaping cartridges, kill Bucky.

"

 **Next Chapter Scarlett goes to the clubhouse and Jax will do something shocking.**


	353. Chapter 353

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 353** _ **Twisted Tig**_

"

 _Author's Note: Thought Tig couldn't get anymore twisted. Think again! He finds a new twisted place to go._

 _"_

Tig wasn't happy when Jax's beautiful blonde girlfriend walked into the chapel to teach them about money laundering. She'd passed out fake money she'd made from colored paper. That's when he thought it would be great to watch her fall on her face. She would never be able to get the guys to understand something so complex. She probably didn't even understand it.

Jax had gone to her car and brought in one of those white dry erase boards. Jax introduced her to all the men.

"Get used to seeing her around. She's my old lady," Jax said.

Even when he was with Wendy, he hadn't made a big deal of it. He'd met her at the clubhouse though, so she'd known the guys. Scarlett had only been to the clubhouse the night Jax got shot. OK. Maybe he had a good reason to introduce her. Some of the guys hadn't been there when she'd scared the shit out of Chibs.

Looking back at that horrible night, she was glad that Scarlett came along to save Jax by getting Tara to help him. Chibs almost killed him. If Jax ever get hurt again, she was going to keep a sharp eye on Chibs to make sure he didn't hurt Jax again.

"I'm going to sit down and Jax is going to use the board. I have an injury to my back and I can't stand for very long. The other thing is that when I explain something, everyone might not understand. If that happens, ask questions, let me know that you don't understand and I'll explain it in a different way."

She explained money laundering using the colored pretend money and Jax helped by writing and drawing on the board. No one except Jax thought she knew what she was talking about until she started talking.

It turned out the blonde whore not only knew about money laundering, she managed to explain it so well that everyone understood including Clay. For that moment, she'd earned Clay's approval. It might not last long, but for now, Clay was a fan.

Bobby muttered under his breath that he knew someone who was going to be in big trouble when he got his hands on him. Tig thought Bobby must have discovered that the guy Bobby used for money laundering was ripping him off.

Jax was looking at Scarlett with pride all over his face because she'd done such a great job explaining money laundering. She had even made it fun.

How the hell could she compete with Scarlett? She was beautiful, smart and Jax was looking at her like he thought he was _lucky_ to be with _her_. That had never happened before. Girls always threw themselves at Jax. Not Scarlett.

The meeting ended and she would normally hang around the clubhouse, but she couldn't take much more tonight. She didn't want to watch Jax and Scarlett together anymore.

She didn't want to call attention to herself, so she quietly slipped away. She was driving by the convenience store when she decided to go inside and get some chocolate. Life could always be improved with the addition of chocolate.

Louise wasn't working, but the trip to get chocolate might get improved on. She used the convenience store bathroom. They never let customers use their bathroom, but they always made an exception for her.

She didn't need to use the bathroom's toilet. She wanted something else. Maybe she would get lucky. There was a small metal trash container that was mounted on the wall above the toilet paper. It was for women to use to dispose of their tampons and pads. She liked to sniff the tampons and attach the pads to her own underwear. It would be just like she was having her period.

She found four tampons and three pads. She took them, stuffed them in a plastic bag she'd brought with her and slipped them in a pocket in her cut. She flushed the toilet and washed her hands.

She could hardly wait until she got home. She'd take a shower, change into different underwear and attach one of the pads to her underwear. After that, she could sniff the tampons. She loved that metallic smell from the iron in the blood. If she were very lucky, she might even have gotten a fresh pad—one that was still reddish and not the dark brown of a pad that had been thrown away many hours ago. Those were her favorite.

Soon, she was going to kill Louise. Louise had escaped from death for too long. It was time for her to die. Maybe tomorrow or the day after. Louise had no idea that her days were numbered.

She showered and found the adhesive strip wouldn't stick to her underwear. She got out a couple of safety pins and used them to pin a pad with a reddish discharge on it to her underwear.

She sniffed the tampons while she thought about killing Louise. Her murder would have to be done perfectly leaving behind no DNA, prints or anything else that could help the police find her.

She shut her eyes and pictured herself killing Louise. Louise was over due for death. Kill! Kill! Kill!


	354. Chapter 354

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 354** _ **Cock Block?**_

"

Sack usually didn't attend Church. He was allowed to join his prospective brothers for Scarlett's presentation. She impressed him because she was smart, but she didn't act superior.

Jax was a lucky man to have a beautiful smart woman like that for his old lady. He liked Cherry a lot, but she was so determined to be an old lady, he wondered how much she really liked him for him. She was chasing after him since he'd met her that night when he had to keep Jax's dick safe from female hands. That had been a nightmare, but at the end he'd earned a little respect from Jax.

Cherry had been a crow-eater at Indian Hills for three years and hadn't become anyone's old lady. That worried him when he thought about it. Did that mean that there was something wrong with her or did the guys just not want to get tied down with an old lady?

He knew if he said the word, she'd be in Charming permanently, but he needed some time. Since he'd become a prospect, girls were really throwing themselves at him. He liked that a lot and he wasn't anxious to give up all he female attention he was getting now.

After Scarlett's presentation, Jax pulled him aside.

"I need you to do something for me," Jax said.

"You need me to protect your dick again? Block your cock?" Sack asked.

"I'm going to try to protect it myself," Jax said. "Appreciate the offer though. No, I just want you to take Scarlett's white board and put it in her car then I want you to sit with her while I play a couple of games of pool."

"Of course. I'll be respectful."

"I'd expect nothing less," Jax said drily. "If that porn whore Ima is here, keep her away from Scarlett."

"I'll be ready."

He was prepared to tackle Ima if necessary. He'd done it before and would do it again.

"

"

 _ **Author's Note: I was wasting my life on the internet and came across an interview with Theo Rossi, Charlie Hunnam and an appearance with Ryan Hurst at the end. If you search for Theo Rossi Charlie Hunnam Motor City Comic Con, you should find it.**_

 _ **Theo does about half the interview alone and he reveals that Juice's ending was changed and he reveals the original scripted ending. He was actually kind of interesting and I'm not a Juice fan. His reaction when CH joined the interview was fascinating. CH had this ratty looking brownish beard. He said it was for a project. I saw some ads for THE GENTLEMEN (Guy Ritchie's new movie) and that matches the beard. If you don't want to listen to the interview, you might want to fast forward to check out Ryan Hurst's new look. Don't think I'll forget that image soon.**_


	355. Chapter 355

9

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 355** _ **Miss Scarlett in the Pool Room with the Gun**_

"

Jax and Scarlett were in the chapel. Sack was off putting the large white board used in the presentation into Scarlett's car. Clay was lighting a cigar.

"That was good," Clay said while rolling his cigar around in his mouth. "I think everyone actually understands. Never thought that would happen. Not that I would ever have a need to launder money, but you've given me a lot to think about."

"Gemma calls it washing money. I think she believes there's an actual washer involved," Jax said.

Clay laughed. "I got to agree with you there. Thanks for the presentation. That was a great idea, son."

Scarlett flinched a little when Clay called Jax son. She looked at the two men and thought she saw striking similarities. Both were tall with broad shoulders, light eyes and a strong jawline. Jax didn't look at all like the picture she'd showed him of JT. He didn't look like Gemma either.

There must be a relative somewhere in Jax's family tree that he resembled. Kids don't always look like their parents. She didn't look like Clay after all. She needed to just calm down. In another day or two—maybe Monday or Tuesday—she would find out she was just being crazy and Jax wasn't Clay's son.

Clay left, leaving them alone.

Jax was standing behind Scarlett. Very gently he got close to her. He'd learned that pulling her close to him jarred her spine and caused her pain. She'd never said a word of complaint, but he'd sensed it. He leaned down, his lips close to her ear.

"I am very proud of you. That was one hell of a presentation."

His breath was warm on her neck and it drove her crazy. The little hairs on her neck were standing on end and she felt like she was going to melt into a puddle. The things that man could do to her—just as long as he wasn't her brother.

"Couldn't have done it without your genius help on the white board writing and drawing the little people."

"You did all the hard stuff," Jax said with a smile. "We don't need to stay long. Maybe a couple of games of pool with Chibs and we'll call it a night."

"That's OK. My next date isn't until ten."

Jax shook his head.

"You are a bad girl, Scarlett."

"I'm not a bad girl," Scarlett said seriously. "Everyone just thinks that way."

"I will kick the ass of anyone who says anything bad to you."

"My protective hero," Scarlett said putting her hand over her heart.

"Damned right."

They walked out of the chapel and into the bar area. Jax walked over to a table. He didn't say a word. The two guys sitting at the table jumped to their feet and left.

Scarlett wasn't surprised. This was the Sons clubhouse. It made sense that if a member of the MC wanted a table, guests should give the table to the Son immediately without having to be asked.

Sack came up to their table and handed Scarlett the keys to her car.

"Thanks."

"Do you want me to . . . ?"

"Wait until I'm playing pool," Jax said.

Sack nodded and left them alone.

"I'm going to have him sit with you and keep you company."

"Keep the men away?"

"Just being seen with me will do that," Jax said. "No guy would dare sit with you now that you've been seen with me. I'm just having him keep you company. If there's anything you need, he'll get it for you."

Jax beckoned a short red head wearing tight jeans and a tank top with no bra that hugged the curves of her implants.

"Darla, this is my old lady Scarlett," Jax said.

Darla couldn't hide her surprise and shock at Jax's announcement.

"Nice to meet you," Scarlett said.

"I want you to get the word out to all the crow-eaters."

Darla nodded.

"Listen carefully. If any croweater disrespects Scarlett in any way, she'll be kicked out of the clubhouse. The second it time it happens, the kick out will be permanent. Is that clear?"

"Sure Jax," she said quickly. "I'll let everyone know."

"One more thing. If any crow-eater puts her hands on me, she'll get kicked out of the clubhouse. Second time it happens and the kick out is permanent. That goes whether Scarlett is with me or not."

"You can count on me to get the word out," she said.

"Good," Jax said dismissing her.

"Wow," Scarlett exclaimed. "They put their hands on you?"

"Crow-eaters are pretty aggressive. They try to get attention any way they can. Most of them want to be old ladies."

"So I'm going to be hated?"

"Yeah. I'm serious about if anyone disrespects you."

"OK."

Jax leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Rubbing it in?" Scarlett suggested.

"A little bit."

He signaled Sack to take his seat at the table. He and Chibs began playing pool.

"You want something to drink?" Sack asked.

"A Coke or Pepsi."

"I'll be right back."

Scarlett watched as Darla went around to the fifteen or so women that were in the clubhouse and spoke to them. She knew she was telling them about her because they would look over at her.

Sack opened the can of coke and put it down in front of Scarlett.

"I even rinsed the top off so all the dirt didn't get into the can when I opened it."

"Thanks, Sack."

"Would it be more respectful if I called you Miss Scarlett," he asked seriously.

"Miss Scarlett reminds me of the Clue game. It was Miss Scarlett in the pool room with the gun," she said. "If you call me Miss Scarlett even once, I'm going to tell Jax you made a pass at me."

"Why would you do that?"

"I'm just kidding. I wouldn't do that. I know if you get on the bad side of Jax, you might not get patched in," Scarlett said. "I just wanted to let you know how much I hate being called Miss Scarlett."

"Not a problem. I will never call you Miss Scarlett."

"OK. We're good," she said with a smile. "Did Jax tell you not to disrespect me?"

Sack nodded.

"Relax a little," Scarlett said. "If I have a problem with you or something you've said to me, I'll talk to you about it. I'm not going to go to Jax and rat you out."

Sack visibly relaxed.

"Thanks. Being a prospect is hard. I'm always trying so hard not to screw up."

Scarlett's chair was too low for her to see much of the pool game, but she couldn't use a bar stool. She had to sit in a chair that fully supported her feet to keep her back from getting worse.

She could watch Jax move around the table and that was more than enough entertainment for her. It suddenly occurred to her that Jax Teller was the cause of global warming. He was just too damned hot. He had this sexy grace combined with this confident hip swinging walk that made him just ooze sex appeal. If a man could walk like that, what must he capable of in bed? The thought of finding out (assuming he wasn't her brother) both intrigued Scarlett and terrified her.

Why couldn't she have just fallen in love for the first time in high school or even college? She could have gone through all the crazy phases then. She was too old to act like a love struck teenager now. It was just that Jax was just so Jax. Hot, tough, blonde, charming, sexy, blue-eyes, hot, funny, hot, smart, sexy, hot . . . She was really losing her mind tonight.

She tried to focus on something else. She noticed that everyone was watching her. Some openly, but most just kept glancing at her. Now she knew what if felt like to be a zoo animal. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, but once she'd been at the clubhouse a few times, people wouldn't pay any attention to her she hoped.

Scarlett finished her Coke. Sack had been sent out to get more ice. He'd gotten the Coke from the kitchen. She walked to the kitchen and paused before she rounded the corner to enter the kitchen. She stopped when she heard her name. One of the crow-eaters was making fun of her physical condition and saying she didn't know why Jax would pick a cripple to be his old lady. Scarlett walked into the room as the woman—a black haired woman—finished speaking.

"You don't make fun of people with physical disabilities," Scarlett said, her voice icy. "It's wrong. As for Jax, by questioning his judgement in making me his old lady, you disrespected him. You've also disrespected me. I'm going to cut you a break and count this as one. You disrespect me again or Jax and you'll never set foot in this clubhouse again," Scarlett said. " _Get out now_."

If Chibs had been present, he would have recognized that same hard, determined look in her eyes from the night she threatened to break a bottle off and insert it in his ass.

The three women that were standing in the kitchen with the woman looked everywhere but at Scarlett and their friend. The black haired woman stared at her friends hoping that one of them would speak up to defend her. They remained silent. She left.

Scarlett didn't know if she had the authority to kick out a crow-eater, but she knew Jax would back her up. She also knew it would make her look weak if she went and got Jax to handle the situation for her.

She walked to the refrigerator, grabbed another Coke and washed the top off at the sink.

"She shouldn't have been talking like that," one of the women said.

"That's why I kicked her out," Scarlett said. "I'm glad you know what she did was wrong, so I don't have to kick you out."

Scarlett left the kitchen and returned to the table. Sack was back from his ice errand.

A tall skinny woman walked into the clubhouse wearing a skin tight white Spandex bandage of a dress. Scarlett studied the woman for a moment.

"Is that Ima?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah," Sack said. "She's a bitch."

"I heard that too."

Ima was heading for their table on her six inch plastic stripper heels. Sack got up from the table to intercept her.

"You're the bastard that tackled me the last time I was here."

"PTSD. Couldn't be helped."

"You better stay the fuck away from me."

"Wouldn't want to get too close to you. Might catch something."

"I'm not infectious anymore asshole," she snapped walking away.

Scarlett laughed. She didn't need to say anything mean to Ima. Sack had done a good job of that all on his own.

"I really enjoyed that," she said when he sat back down at the table.

"Me too," he said with a grin.

Jax returned to the table and they left. He had downed quite a few beers while he'd played pool with Chibs. Scarlett had told him earlier that she would drive them back to her condo.

She told him about the incident in the kitchen. He reacted just like she thought he would. He told her that she had handled it perfectly and he was proud of her. He made her feel so damned good. It was addicting being with him.

A late night dessert would be the perfect end to the evening especially the way Scarlett was going to serve it. She had ice cream and a jar of fudge sauce. She'd slip a sleeping pill or two in the fudge sauce and the sleeping pill/alcohol combo would knock Jax out in record time. That was how she was going to avoid making out with her potential brother tonight.

She loved Jax. For at least the hundredth time she wondered what the hell she was going to do if it turned out that he was her brother. She could leave town or go all _Flowers in the Attic_ (by V.C. Andrews) and not let that stop her from hooking up with him.

Please God, she prayed, don't let him be my brother. She didn't think she could do the _Flowers in the Attic_ thing.

"

 **Next Chapter: Jax's father is revealed. He isn't who you think he is or maybe he is depending on how you're thinking.**

 **Author's Note:** _ **To my reader who doesn't like to sign in—How's this for more Scarlett and it's a long chapter?**_

 _ **When I did the paternity arc with Jax, it limited my ability to really build their romance because what kind of girl has a romance with her brother? I can't say anymore about that without tipping the results of the paternity test.**_

 _ **The next big plot arc is Kohn and it involves a lot of Scarlett. It's hard to know how much to tell about future plotlines, but I will say that Scarlett's father has a plan to get Clay kicked out of the club and readers have all the pieces to guess that plan. I've been moving that plotline into the story gradually.**_

 _ **The Tig plotline will be the next plot arc after Kohn and there will be more murders and Louise may not be able to keep dodging death.**_

 _ **I'm OK with readers giving me honest feedback. I write better with input and I don't think that you are rude at all. You're trying to help me and I appreciate it. Please keep telling me what I'm doing wrong and keep telling me. Even if it's the same points. Sometimes it takes awhile to fix things.**_

 _ **I'm not sensitive about my writing. Writers who get offended by criticism are limiting their growth as writers. It takes longer to think through a story and explain what you as a reader see as a problem than to just do a standard "nice chapter". That's why I really appreciate the time a reader takes to explain what is wrong with the story, so please keep helping me.**_

 _ **I would also be able to be more forthcoming about future plots if you PM me.**_


	356. Chapter 356

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 356** _ **Test Results**_

"

Decker answered the phone on the second ring. It was Monday a little after 11 in the morning. He was surprised Scarlett had waited that long to call him.

"Dad, I can't get the password you gave me to work on the site so I can't see if the paternity test results are in."

"Give me a couple of minutes to look into it. Did you have a nice weekend?"

"You know I didn't. I told Jax that I was spending the weekend with you and I stayed at a motel Saturday and Sunday. I just got back to my condo a few minutes ago. I don't even know the town's name that I stayed in. I just got in my car and drove as long as my back would let me. I couldn't face the drive to the lake house. When Jax got hurt, that drive was really tough and painful."

"You could have stayed in Charming and used the store as an excuse not to see him."

"The excuse wouldn't have been good enough. I drugged him Friday night. I just don't want to spend time with him until I know he's not my brother. Could you find out about the password?"

"I'll call you back as soon as I find out something."

Decker knew exactly why Scarlett's password didn't work—he hadn't given her the correct password. If the information were bad news, he didn't want her to find out from a computer screen.

He pulled up the website and entered the real password. He stared at the results. They surprised him. He waited twenty minutes before calling Scarlett back.

"I had the same problem with the password. I contacted the company and there's some kind of computer problem. Their IT department is working on it. Should be OK in a couple of hours. Are you doing anything critical today? I thought I could help you pick up the van."

"I don't have any vendor appointments today and I could really use the van."

"OK. I'll be there in about an hour and a half. Maybe we can grab dinner tonight."

"Why don't you just stay the night?"

"OK," he said and ended the phone call.

Decker looked again at the test results. He dreaded telling Scarlett that Clay Morrow was Jax's real father.


	357. Chapter 357

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 357** _ **Fateful Decision**_

"

Louise was surprised when Jaime the owner of the convenience store she worked at told her he wanted to take her to lunch and talk about work. He'd never been creepy or anything short of kind to her, so she wasn't worried about this lunch turning into something weird.

They were sitting at a table at one of Charming's versions of a fast food burger place. Louise was eating a double bacon burger, her favorite. Jaime had his usual burger and fries.

"I wanted to bring you to lunch and talk to you a little bit about your job," he said.

"You're not firing me?" Louise asked.

"Oh, no, no. Not you," he said quickly.

"Kidding," Louise said.

"I would never fire you. You are my best worker. You always show up on time and you know how to do your job."

Louise had no idea that something as simple as showing up on time and doing her job were enough to make her Jaime's best worker.

"That's nice of you," she said.

"It's true Louise. If I had two more employees like you, my life would be perfect."

"You've always been really nice about working with my school schedule, showing up on time seems like the least I can do."

"I know you don't want to work nights anymore even though there haven't been any robberies in town. Just to make sure everyone is as safe as possible though, I'm getting an alarm system for the store that's hooked to Charming PD so help will be a push button away. I'm also going to upgrade the video camera system."

"I didn't think the camera system worked."

"It doesn't. I'm going to get a camera system that works and has good quality video."

"I like that there's going to be an alarm system."

"I'd like to make you the night manager," he said.

"Uh-huh," she said slowly. Night manager was a misleading title because normally there wasn't anyone to manage.

"It isn't just a title. I want you to do it so much, I'll give you a $5 an hour raise."

That raise would mean $100 more a week. That was a lot of money to her. It meant she could save for a better car and maybe visit her dad again paying her own way this time.

"When are you getting the alarm system?"

"Tomorrow they are coming to install it."

"My mom was the one who really wanted me to change to days. Let me talk to her. Can I tell you tomorrow?"

"No problem."

That night Louise talked it over with her mother. She wasn't thrilled with her daughter returning to working nights, but she understood that the raise was a lot of money to turn down. Reluctantly, she gave her daughter permission to return to working nights as long as the alarm system was installed and working.

Louise accepted the promotion and returned to working nights a week later. This would turn out to be a fateful decision.

"

 **Next Up:** _ **Scarlett's father shows her the test results.**_


	358. Chapter 358

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 358** _ **Who's My Daddy?**_

"

The waiting was driving Scarlett crazy. She was glad her father was coming and they were getting the van. Maybe the distraction would give her something else to think about. She tried the website again, but her password still wouldn't work. Damned computer glitches.

She didn't bother going to her store. Once she got the results of the paternity test, she would buckle down and focus on getting her store up and running so she could start laundering money through it.

With her back injury, she could get nothing done physically. She had to hire people to do everything for her even the painting of the store that she would have enjoyed doing herself. It couldn't be helped. Her body was physically unable to do much of anything. Jax had been so kind to her. He was never impatient or expressed frustration over her physical limitations. Maybe it was good that she was limited physically. Maybe if she'd been physically OK, she and Jax's relationship would have progressed more and that might turn out to be a bad thing if she found out he was her brother.

Every thought that crossed her mind tied back to Jax. The closer she got to getting the results of the paternity test, the more worried and impatient she got. Patience had never been one of her virtues. Her mother had been the same way. Her father had done his best to help her learn patience, but he had little success.

When her father got to the condo, they left immediately to pick up the van her father had bought for Scarlett at a used car dealership. She was looking forward to having a car that wouldn't be such a struggle getting in and out. The Corvette was just too low to the ground with a rough stiff ride.

The van would be a great improvement. It was a passenger van, but the seats could be put down and if she needed larger items moved, she'd find someone to help her. Maybe Jax would know of someone provided she was still going to live in Charming and not have to run away from her brother. She just needed to get her mind off those damned test results.

Her father drove her Corvette back to Charming while she drove the van. It was so much easier to get into and she liked sitting up higher. Once they got back to her condo, she parked the van inside her double car garage and she and her father went inside.

"How did you like the van?"

"I love it. I still have trouble driving. It's moving my leg from the accelerator to the brake. In traffic, it's worst because it's hard for me to hold my foot on the brake."

"How's physio going?"

"It's going OK. When Jax got hurt and I had to cancel my appointments, I lost what little progress I'd made. Soft tissue injuries just take a long time to heal. That's why you always hear it's better to break a bone than tear tendons or ligaments or whatever I tore."

They were sitting in the living room sipping glasses of iced tea.

"I'm going to tell you something. It's going to be OK," her father said.

"Oh, my God. You've got the results to the tests and you gave me the wrong password," Scarlett said. She knew her father well. Of course, he would give her the wrong password. How the hell could she have fallen for the computer glitch excuse?

"I wanted to tell you if the results . . ."

The color drained from Scarlett's face.

"I can't believe this. Clay is Jax's father, isn't he?"

"Yes, but Clay isn't your father."

Scarlett closed her eyes and let her breath out in a whoosh.

"Jax isn't my half brother?"

"Not your half brother, not your full brother. No relation to you."

She covered her eyes with the heels of her hands. She was OK with Clay not being her father. She was OK with Clay being Jax's father. She was willing to accept anything as long as she and Jax weren't related. She took a couple of deep breaths and felt the tension in her body ease.

"How did you know? Did my mother change her story?"

"She admitted early in our relationship that she'd been with another member of the MC. It was a one night and done thing. The guys from SAMCRO were visiting and Clay stayed to help them build their membership. He was there a couple of months. She assumed that he was the father because they had been together the most. You mother told you what she believed was true.

"When you gave me the DNA samples, I went by Clay and Gemma's and took a pair of Clay's underwear. This also served as a double check on the lab."

"So my bio dad didn't kill my mother. That's good news. It doesn't matter who my bio dad is, you're my father."

"It's better if Jax doesn't learn the truth."

"I agree. I don't want him to start feeling daddy love for Clay especially since we plan to get him kicked out of SAMCRO and put in jail. I'll need Jax's help with that. I am just so damned happy he isn't my half brother."

"You're not mad at me for the way I handled it?"

Scarlett shook her head.

"No, I get it. If the news had been bad, it would have been hell for me, but it would have been better if you broke the news to me. You were just protecting me," Scarlett smiled. "I am so happy."

Her father laughed.

"You have fallen hard for Jax."

"I tried hard to resist, but he's just so . . ."

"Dreamy?" Decker suggested

"I'm not a high schooler. I just don't have the vocabulary to adequately describe just how great Jax is. And he's not my brother. That's the best part."

"I haven't heard anything about how you were right about suspecting that Clay was Jax's father."

"It was less about being right and more about being afraid that Clay was Jax's father."

That evening, Scarlett and her father ate dinner at a small BBQ restaurant. Her father was going to get an early start the next morning. Scarlett had a physio appointment that afternoon. Jax would be by to take her. She could hardly wait to see him.

It was later before she fell asleep that she wondered if the Son that was her bio father was from the sex trafficking Laredo chapter or from SAMCRO. If her father belonged to SAMCRO, she wondered if he were still a member. Could she have met him when she'd done her money laundering presentation?

As for the truth about Jax's paternity, she would take that secret to her grave.

"

 **Author's Note:** _**In a future chapter, Jax will find his father's manuscript. Now, you'll have Jax who is biologically Clay's, raised as JT's son and now JT will speak to him from beyond the grave via the manuscript. Does is really matter who your bio dad is or who you think your bio dad is? With genealogy, they say you can trace the maternal line, but you can never be sure about the paternal line.**_

 _ **I would have greatly preferred if S6 and S7 had been about Jax finding out Clay was his bio dad and playing out how that changes Jax. Kind of like could he rise above his genetics and be guided by JT's more philosophical view or would he even want to since JT has no blood tie to him.**_

 _ **Also now, Scarlett will be able to get her romantic feelings for Jax back on track.**_


	359. Chapter 359

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 359 Dead Babies Keep Piling Up**

"

Tara had a slow work day. It was perfect to check up on some of her work concerns. Dr. Namid had been busy killing babies. Four in the last two months. Tara carefully studied each death. The babies were all sick with questionable qualities of life and had died during fairly routine procedures that ordinarily didn't result in death.

Each baby seemed to have some unforeseen medical complication during surgery that couldn't be overcome and the baby died. In most cases, the babies would have had only a few years to live and the surgeries were to either prolong the life a little or make the baby more comfortable.

Everything about medicine was so gray. Saving a baby always sounded like a good thing until the realities of what that life was going had to be faced.

Could Dr. Namid be some sort of surgical version of an Angel of Death? She couldn't tell anyone in the hospital of her suspicions. Even if she were right, everyone would hate her. It would make the hospital look bad and like most companies and government entities, it was always better to look good even if the image was fake. Blame the light for the problem and not the cockroaches.

Was it really so bad if Dr. Namid was ending a baby's suffering early? She knew the med school answer to that question was that doctors weren't God and had sworn an oath to do no harm to their patients. That was all well and good until it was your kid that was going to spend his or her life in intense pain with no quality of life to help balance out the pain.

She didn't have anyone at the hospital she could talk to about this, but she did have her best friend Scarlett. Grabbing her phone, she called Scarlett suggesting they get lunch.

"

 **Author's Note: _I was working on my clean up of this story and then I got distracted and started another story. It's more of a rom-com. It's called Taming Ava and it's rated M. Light and fun that brings out a different side of Jax. I'm probably only going to post once a week with longer chapters._**


	360. Chapter 360

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 360** _ **Keeping Tabs**_

"

Scarlett pounced on Jax as soon as he got into her condo, wrapping her arms around him and kissing him on the lips.

"I'm sorry. I know I've been kind of distant lately."

Scarlett was still in a happiness bubble from finding out that Jax was not her half brother and she'd missed their physical closeness.

"Is there something wrong?"

She shook her head smiling.

"Not anymore. There was a business issue, but my dad and I got it worked out. I have a new car to drive. My dad and I got a van yesterday. I know the Corvette is more fun to drive, but do you mind if we take the van?"

He kissed the top of her head.

"No. I know how hard it is for you to get into and out of it. We still need to do the car switch?"

"I'm afraid so."

"I don't mind. I was thinking of you and how hard it is for you to get into and out of a car."

Jax and Scarlett were still changing their appearance and switching cars before going to her therapy appointments. Scarlett knew that she had to be a stickler for security. Just one off day and her psycho ex might get the break he needed to find her again.

"I wish physio worked faster. This old man comes into physio using two canes. He was still walking better, faster and easier than me," Scarlett said and Jax laughed. "The next week, he's down to one cane."

"You don't know how many weeks it took to get him down to one cane," Jax said.

"I know and I know that people who go there get better. I've seen it. I'm getting better."

"It will take as long as it takes. Scarlett, there's no pressure from me."

"You're the best."

"You remember that the next time you're mad at me."

"How could I ever get mad at someone with that face?" she asked pinching his cheek.

"You've done it before," he reminded her.

"You deserved it."

They headed off to her appointment. When they got back, Scarlett instantly noticed the white sedan parked in visitor's parking and a man sitting on one of the benches. She recognized him as Kohn, Tara's stalker who now appeared to be keeping tabs on her.

When they had lunch tomorrow, she and Tara needed to figure out something else to do about Kohn. There was no doubt in her mind that he was dangerous. It was only a question of who he was a greater danger to—her or Tara.

"

 **Next Up: Kohn busts a move.**


	361. Chapter 361

6

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

 **"**

 **Chapter 361** _ **Kohn Busts a Move**_

"

Scarlett met Tara a few blocks from her store to grab lunch at the best deli sandwich place in Charming called Sandwich A Lot. They each got the combination sandwich— delicious layers of thin sliced turkey, honey roasted ham and rare delectable roast beef with Swiss cheese on sour dough rolls. Scarlett's sandwich was simple with just mustard. Tara's was piled high with lettuce and tomatoes. They each drank iced teas and shared a basket of home-made potato chips still warm from the oil.

"How is this sandwich so delicious? It's meat, cheese and mustard, but it's just so good."

"It's all the meat and the quality of the meat."

"It's the smell inside here. I can smell the meat and all the cheeses. It smells like heaven."

The two women were sitting tucked away in a little corner of the small but very busy sandwich shop. The tables were there for the convenience of those that wanted to eat their sandwiches there. Sandwiches and drinks were ordered and picked up by the customer. Customers who ate at a table were also expected to bus their own table

"This place opened when I was in high school. It's been a big hit ever since. If people could just taste a sandwich from here, they would never buy a supermarket sub again."

Tara confided a little about her work situation. Scarlett suggested that she start an online file where she could keep everything that she finds and include copies of documents that support her case. She also suggested that she never work on the file from her work computer and to give the file a hard to hack password. Tara liked Scarlett's idea. She asked her if she could send her a copy of everything she finds, not for Scarlett to read but more as a back-up. Scarlett agreed.

Scarlett told her about her clubhouse debut. Tara was shocked at the way Jax had told the crow-eaters if they touched him, they'd get thrown out. Jax had actually grown into a pretty cool guy, Tara told Scarlett.

"I wish I had your balls. You threw a crow-eater out on your first visit. No one is going to mess with you," Tara said with admiration in her voice.

"You helped when you gave me advice," Scarlett said. She told Tara about Ima and Sack's conversation including the part when Ima told him she wasn't infectious anymore. They both laughed with Scarlett wrapping her arms around herself to lessen the pain of laughing.

"I absolutely hate that bitch. Ten years and the hate feels current," Tara said.

"After ten years, you would think she would have better things to do with her time," Scarlett said. Her face grew serious. "I saw Kohn outside my condo yesterday. Jax stayed so I don't know how long he watched me."

"Did you tell Jax?"

"No. We need to do something about him. I thought David was going to do something with his ATF job."

"That's what I thought. It takes so damned long for the government to get anything done. Who the hell knows how long it's going to take? I can't help feeling this is my fault."

"Tara, you aren't responsible for some insane stalker. How were you supposed to know that he would follow you here?"

"I thought if he knew that Jax and I weren't together, his weird obsession with Jax would be over."

"Why is he so obsessed with Jax?"

"I think Jax is everything he isn't. He suspected that he would never be able to measure up to Jax."

"The Jax you were with was a teenager. Kohn is supposed to be a man. He should have been able to compare favorably with Jax."

"His thinking is distorted. It's a hallmark of the crazy."

When they left the sandwich shop, they each had half a sandwich wrapped up and tucked inside their hand bags. They both saw him sitting on a bus bench at the same moment.

"Son of a bitch," Tara said. "Do you want me to give you a ride back to your shop?"

"I don't mind the walk," Scarlett said. "I'm just going to pretend he doesn't exist."

"OK," Tara said with a sigh. "Me too."

The two women parted and Scarlett began to walk the couple of blocks to her store. She could hear footsteps behind her. She always walked with her pepper spray in her hand. It was automatic.

She was walking along a sidewalk adjacent to a parking lot. There were no stores that she could duck into to get away. There was a side street that wasn't well travelled that she needed to walk down to get to her store. She wasn't going to walk down that street with Kohn on her heels. At least out here in the open, she might be able to scream for help.

She stopped and turned to face him.

"You're following me."

"So what if I am? It's not illegal."

Scarlett was very conscious that she had little she could do to defend herself. Her back injury left her close to helpless. Her strategy was to keep him from getting too close to her so he couldn't grab her and pull her off somewhere. He was standing about six feet from her.

"You are a loser. Why don't you just go away and leave me alone?"

"Maybe I want to make you scream."

Scarlett was so scared her face felt numb, but she wasn't about to let him see her fear. It would give the son of a bitch pleasure and she wasn't going to give him that.

"Go fuck yourself and scream your own name."

Kohn's face flushed with anger and he took two steps closer to Scarlett. She took a step back.

"You're a mouthy bitch."

If she could provoke him enough to hit her, she could file an assault charge against him. Maybe that would get enough attention from his ATF employers to force him to go back to Chicago. Or, it would get him all riled up and he'd really come for her.

"Your problem is you're three inches short of a Jax sized dick."

He took a step towards her.

"If you come any closer, I'm going to pepper spray you," she said. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tara watching them from her father's big black Cutlass. She got out of the car and began to walk towards them.

Kohn lunged forward and tried to grab her arm. She pepper sprayed him the way she'd learned online hitting him in the eyes, nose and mouth in a "Z" pattern. Kohn gasped for breath. Scarlett seized the opportunity to spray him again.

Tara ran over and kneed him in the groin. He lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"I wish I could kick," Scarlett said wistfully.

"My treat," Tara said with a grin before kicking Kohn in the groin.

"Thanks."

"In MC culture, the worst thing you can do to an enemy is spit on him."

Scarlett and Tara leaned over Kohn and spit on him.

"Come on, I'll give you a ride," Tara said.

When they got to the Cutlass, Tara opened the door for Scarlett and closed it. The doors were heavy and difficult for Scarlett to open and close.

Scarlett told Tara most of what happened leaving the part about Jax's dick out.

"He's really starting to lose it," Tara said. "I'm off today. I'm going by Charming PD and talk to Hale."

"I made it worse, didn't I?"

"If you had been more submissive, it would have been worse. Fighting back is the only way with him. He'll think twice before he comes for you."

"Be careful, Tara."

"I will."

Scarlett carefully got out of Tara's car, unlocked her store's door and locked the door once she was inside. She hoped Kohn was still collapsed on the sidewalk. She sat down at her desk and reached for her water bottle. Her hands were shaking. Now that she didn't have to be brave, she could face just how much Kohn scared her.

 _ **Upcoming Chapter: Scarlett finds herself in deep trouble with Jax.**_


	362. Chapter 362

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

"

 **Chapter 362** _ **Who to Hurt First**_

"

Josh Kohn wasn't sure which was worse the pepper spray burning his eyes, nose and lungs or the groin kick. His eyes streamed with water, but there wasn't a fountain around anywhere to wash out his eyes. He got to his feet and stumbled down the street until he found his car. Lucky for him, he had a bottle of water in it. He left the car door open and tried to flush the pepper spray out of his eyes with the water. His lungs were still on fire. Jax Teller's whore was a vicious bitch.

For a moment when he saw Tara running up, he had this crazy wild hope that she was going to help him. He thought that up until the moment she'd jammed her knee in his balls. He should have beaten her bloody when he had the chance.

Those two bitches had assaulted the wrong ATF agent. He would make them regret today. The only question was who should he hurt first?

"

 _ **New Story Alert: If you haven't discovered my new story Taming Ava – A Modern Fairytale, please check it out. It's a different Jax and a different relationship than Jax and Scarlett have. This Jax has harder edges, is much more aggressive and a little scary. She's spoiled and not very nice and she doesn't find him physically attractive. How could that possibly be, but he's just not her type. He's too intense—too masculine for her tastes. She likes the Hallmark movie guys—the kind that would never throw you against a wall, try to take your clothes off and have sex with you.**_

 _ **He's like this caged animal and it's great that he's caged—until he gets out. It's a romantic comedy that is built around their relationship. I've also rated it "M".**_


	363. Chapter 363

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

"

 **Chapter 363** _ **What the Hale is Going On?**_

"

After Tara dropped Scarlett off, she immediately drove straight to Charming PD. For once, her anger was greater than her fear of Kohn. She wasn't just mad at Kohn. She was also furious with Hale for telling her that he was going to take care of Kohn when it looked to her like he hadn't done a damned thing.

She felt some guilt that Kohn had gone after Scarlett. She knew it wasn't her fault, but if she'd kept her mouth shut about Jax, maybe Kohn wouldn't have come after Scarlett. It was a good thing Scarlett had her pepper spray with her and she was close by to help her fight.

Kohn didn't really have any fight in him after Scarlett pepper sprayed him, but the opportunity to get some payback was too hard to resist. Kicking him had felt especially good. Once he'd thrown her against a wall so hard she thought she had a concussion. He was smart about physical abuse. He knew how to not leave a mark. She wondered if they taught that in some black ops ATF class—how to hurt someone without leaving a mark.

"Is Hale around?" Tara asked at the front desk.

Hale saw her through the windows in the administrative area of the department and went out to talk to her.

"I need to talk to you about Kohn."

He took her by the arm and led her into an interview room and closed the door.

"Has something happened?"

'Of course," Tara sputtered angrily. She was too mad to sit down.

"Calm down a little," Hale suggested.

"Scarlett and I ate lunch. He was waiting for us when we came out of Sandwiches A Lot. I got in my car to leave. Scarlett walked from her shop and wanted to walk back. He started to follow her. He tried to attack her and she pepper sprayed him. I ran over and kneed and kicked him. He's going to keep coming after us."

"What's his problem with Scarlett?" Hale asked puzzled.

"She's Jax's old lady."

Hale raised his eyebrows with surprise.

"Since when?"

"It's recent."

"Jax didn't take long to lock her down."

"He's a man of action," Tara said drily. "Speaking of which, you told me you were doing something about Kohn."

"Do you think Scarlett will file charges against him?"

"What good would it do?" Tara asked raising her voice in frustration. "Attempted assault. You haul him in. He says it was a misunderstanding. Maybe he gets arrested, but he's a fed. He'll get no bail or minimum bail. That won't keep him from coming after one or both of us."

"I'll call Stahl at ATF and see what's going on. Wait here. I'll be right back."

Tara gave him a disgusted look and took a seat at the table. She knew she wasn't being fair to Hale. He was handicapped by the law. The truth was scary. The law can't do much about a stalker or someone who is acting in a threatening manner until he's done something to you. If you're lucky you'll live and if you're not and he kills you, he might get locked up for a few years.

Hale returned twenty minutes later and took a seat at the table.

"I called Stahl and explained that the situation was escalating. She called Kohn's boss in Chicago. He is also afraid that Kohn's going to flip out and hurt someone. It wouldn't be the first time. There have been a lot of excessive force complaints against him. He's in the process of firing Kohn, but it takes awhile. He's agreed to email him this afternoon, order him back to Chicago and order him to report to the ATF office on Monday. He needs to have HR approve and send the email, but he has promised Stahl it will go out today. I've issued an ATL (attempt to locate) and I'll talk to him. I will also have patrol do patrols at your house and Scarlett's at least every hour until he's on a plane and out of here. This is the absolute best I can do with the laws as they are written."

Tara sat silently and considered everything he'd said. Hale was doing as much as he could in the circumstances. The deficiencies in the law were not his fault.

"Thank you, Hale. I'm sorry. I don't blame you. I get the law doesn't let you lock him up. Getting him out of Charming would be so amazing."

"Call me anytime."

Tara got up from the table and hugged him.

"Thank you. I'll call Scarlett and let her know."

On the way to her car, she saw Kohn in the parking lot. She called Hale and gave him Kohn's location. She waited in her car a few minutes until two uniformed officers walked up to Kohn's car.

She hoped that the Kohn nightmare would be over soon. It would be, but not by Kohn flying back to Chicago.


	364. Chapter 364

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

"

 **Chapter 364 Afternoon Candy Bar Break**

"

Tig walked to the convenience store to get her afternoon candy bar. She was torn between the Payday candy bar or the Snickers bar with almonds. She decided on the Payday. She preferred her Snicker bars frozen.

She knew she could have bought a bunch at the grocery store and saved money, but if she did that, she would eat them all in a day. She was like Happy in that respect—she had no willpower when it came to candy. She had her figure to think about and couldn't get fat. Gemma was always talking about how no one liked a fat old lady.

She shut her eyes for a moment and thought about the moment when Jax kisses her for the first time. It would be like the princess who kisses a frog and the frog turns into his real self—a handsome prince. Her love story was a little backward. Jax was the prince who would kiss what he thought was a typical mechanic and MC brother and the kiss would transform her into the beautiful princess she really was. Imagine his surprise when she transformed into her true self! He would naturally fall immediately in love with her his blonde whore instantly forgotten.

Louise told her that she'd gotten a promotion and would start working nights again beginning next week. She was excited about the big raise she was getting. Tig was happy for her too. She could barely contain her own excitement because Louise working nights would make her so much easier to kill.

Soon, she would _finally_ kill Louise. Maybe she would be the last one that needed to die. Maybe this would get out whatever needed getting out when she killed. Or maybe, Louise would just be the opening act before she killed Jax's beautiful blonde whore.

"

 _ **Author's Note: If you want to read more about Happy's love of candy and you missed my Halloween story complete in three chapters check out Trick or Treating Happy Style.**_


	365. Chapter 365

3

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

"

 **Chapter 365** _ **Hale Gets His Man and then Lets Him Go**_

"

The two uniformed officers politely explained that Deputy Police Chief Hale wanted to have a word. Josh Kohn wanted to have a word with him too. If Hale were going to talk to him about the pepper spray incident with the two bitches, he wanted to make sure he knew it was their fault. Teller's whore flipped out on him and attacked him.

Josh was shown into an interview room and then left there for more than a half hour. He knew that game. It was designed to scare the person. Hale was probably watching him on the other side of the one way glass looking for signs of nervousness.

David Hale was a country bumpkin or a hick. He could outthink Hale even if he were in a coma. What a local yokel loser!

Hale walked into the interview room looking stern. Was he really expecting him to look afraid? Hell, he was an ATF agent. _He_ terrorized suspects during interrogations. He wasn't about to be frightened by some small town cop. He was barely above a mall cop. He could school Hale on how to scare a perp.

"I understand you had a little problem on the streets of Charming," Hale said conversationally taking a seat across from Kohn.

"Teller's whore attacked me," Josh said indignantly. "Bitch pepper sprayed me and then Tara assaulted me."

"You didn't do anything to provoke them?"

"Blame the victim much? My eyes are still burning and blood shot. I could barely breathe. Lucky I don't have asthma or I could have died."

"I'm going to give you some advice. Trying to get sympathy, claiming you did nothing and are innocent isn't going to fly. Maybe in Chicago, ATF agents get beat up by random women on the street. It doesn't happen here."

"You missed the point I made," Josh snapped. "It wasn't random women. It was Teller's whore and Tara. They attacked me."

Hale ran his hand over his chin and pretended to think.

"That still doesn't play here. Stay away from the women and you won't have anymore problems."

Kohn just gave Hale a contemptuous look.

"I'm going to give you a friendly piece of advice get out of town, go back to Chicago and try to save your job."

"I should have known better than to expect any fairness from you," Kohn said huffily.

"You want me to arrest Scarlett and Tara? Really?" Hale dropped the polite façade and openly sneered at Kohn. "When was the last time you passed a drug test?"

"I should have known they got to you. Are there any honest cops in town?"

Hale's face flushed with anger. He worked hard to stay honest and in a town with Wayne Unser as police chief and Clay Morrow unofficial police chief, it was a hard fought battle every day.

"Get out Kohn. Here's one last piece of advice, don't mess with the old lady of an outlaw biker. Jax Teller is a dangerous man. Your Fed agent status may make you feel protected, but it won't help you with him. If you value your life, you will get the hell out of town now."

"Is that a threat?"

"No, I'm trying to save your life. Get out of town and go back to Chicago. It's will be a lot safer for you there than Charming."

Kohn got up from his chair and walked out of the room and police department without a backwards glance.

As much as he didn't want to admit it, Hale's words about Jax Teller had rattled him. He may have gone too far with Scarlett. On the other hand, maybe this was exactly what was needed. He might provoke a reaction from Jax that he could use to take down the Sons. At the very least, he might be able to take down Jax Teller. He wanted to see the women's faces when Jax got handcuffed and carted off to jail provided Hale could be bothered to arrest him.


	366. Chapter 366

4

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

"

 **Chapter 366** _ **Hale Pays a Call**_

"

David Hale didn't know why it bothered him to learn that Scarlett was Jax's old lady. He knew they were together, but he didn't know that it had gotten to the old lady stage. When she told him she couldn't see him anymore as a friend due to her relationship with Jax, he believed he still might get her in the long run if he could just be patient. Sooner or later they were bound to break up.

He would wait for her at least until someone crossed his path that he could have a romantic interest in. The problem with Charming was its lack of single women that were age appropriate. He'd sort of pounced on Scarlett because she was a beautiful single available woman, but part of him wanted to save her from the MC life.

Unless she was raised in the life, she had no idea what she was getting into with Jax. It was a tough life. Even if Jax managed to get through his life without doing a long stretch in prison, it would not be an easy life for Scarlett. He hoped that she would see the life Jax could offer her and realize it was a life of violence and uncertainty.

It was ironic that he'd crushed on Tara in high school and she'd gone for Jax. Now he was crushing on Scarlett and once again he'd lost out to Jax. He got it all too clearly. Jax was the ultimate bad boy with good looks and charm. He was the uptight law enforcement officer with average looks.

It was too bad that he'd gotten over Tara in the ten years she'd been away from Charming. She'd gotten over Jax while he'd gotten over her.

He got in his police cruiser and drove to Scarlett's store. He needed to talk to her about Kohn and it would be nice to see her. The lights in the store were on, but he couldn't see her. The door was locked since the store wasn't open yet. He tapped on the window with his police baton and waited. He remembered that it took Scarlett awhile to walk.

She finally came walking into view. He could tell by her small slow steps that she wasn't much better. It took her several minutes before she got to the front of the store and unlocked the door to let him in. She locked the door behind him leaving the keys in the lock.

"Mind if we sit down?" Scarlett asked.

"Fine with me."

Scarlett led the way to a small desk area where she had her laptop. She took the desk chair and Hale took the visitor's chair next to her desk.

"How do you like the condo?"

"It's nice not to be living in a motel," Scarlett said. "I was starting to feel like a hooker."

Hale thought about Kohn calling her Teller's whore. Just another reason to despise Kohn. Scarlett was far from a whore. She might be with Jax but she wasn't a crow-eater and she wasn't a slut. He could just tell. As a cop, he liked to consider himself an expert on these things.

"So you're all settled in?"

"I am thanks to your brother leaving the furniture. He made it so easy for me. It was lucky that you told me about it."

"Tara came by PD and told me about what happened with you and Kohn. Are you OK?"

"I'm fine. He's a horrible man. He's obsessed with Tara and Jax and I'm in the middle."

"Did he attack you?"

"He threatened me. He kept getting closer and closer to me. I can't fight. My back injury limits my ability to defend myself. I can't let him get too close to me. I warned him that if he took another step towards me, I would pepper spray him. He did and I used the pepper spray. Tara and I had lunch together and she saw what happened and ran over to help me."

Hale laughed.

"He should know better than to mess with the two of you even if you are only about half-power."

"My pepper spray was full strength," Scarlett said with a grin.

"Does Jax know?"

"Not yet. He's coming over for dinner tonight and I'll tell him then."

"Kohn's going to be gone any day now. He's being ordered to return to Chicago and report to work on Monday."

"Tara called and told me about what you said."

"I told Kohn that if he valued his life he should get out of town. I'm concerned about what Jax will do to him. The MC saved my life and Tristen's and for that I'm grateful. I can't look the other way if something fatal happens to Kohn."

"Fatal?" Scarlett said surprised. "Jax isn't going to kill Kohn."

"Are you sure?"

"I'll talk to him about it."

"Suppose you just don't mention this to Jax? Kohn's going to be gone and you have no idea what Jax will do when you tell him what happened. I'm not only trying to save Kohn's life, I'm trying to protect Jax from doing something that could destroy his life. If Jax hurts Kohn and ends up going away for that, Kohn will win."

"If Kohn's going to be gone in a few days, maybe you're right and it would be better just to not mention it to him. Did Kohn say anything to you that would lead you to believe that Tara or I could be in danger from him?"

Hale shook his head.

"He didn't threaten either of you. I'll increase patrols around your homes. You have my cell number. You can call me if you need help."

"I don't want anything bad to happen to Jax over Kohn. I won't say anything. Will you let me know if he leaves town?"

"When he leaves town," Hale said confidently. "Worse case, he'll leave for Chicago Sunday. That just leaves today, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and part of Sunday to get through."

"OK. I'd do it. Thanks for coming over and trying to come up with a solution that keeps everyone safe."

"I don't want to find Kohn's body and I don't want to lock up Jax."

Hale left, his mission accomplished. He'd done his best to protect Kohn and Jax. His intentions were good, but Kohn had other plans.


	367. Chapter 367

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

"

 **Chapter 367** _ **How was your day?**_

"

Jax missed outlawing. Between recovering from his bullet wounds and taking Scarlett to her physio appointments, he hadn't had much time to go out with the guys. Today, he, Clay and a few of the guys were meeting with Marcus Alvarez to pick up gun parts in barrels disguised as used automotive oil.

Despite the partnership's beginning under forced circumstances both Mayans and Sons were making it work because they were both making money they wouldn't have made without it. The Irish were still out of stock and the Mayan weapons were helping them fill orders.

"You have any luck finding your son?" Clay asked.

"No," Alvarez said. "Believe me, everyone's looking. They want the bounty."

"You think he went to Mexico?" Jax asked.

"I don't see how he could be here. We would have found him by now. Salazar too. I think they are both in Mexico."

"Believe me, we'll keep looking," Clay said. "My guys . . ."

Jax's phone's alerted him to a text message. He looked at the text message and excused himself to make a call. When he returned, he was glad Clay and Alvarez had moved on from discussing the hunt for Esai and Salazar.

"Our buyers are loving your guns," Jax said.

"Only the highest quality at the best prices," Alvarez said. "It's worked well for us too. We've sold more to you in a week than we've sold in two months."

"The start of a beautiful relationship," Clay said lighting his cigar.

"We'll set something up next week. Same plus a dozen laser sights," Jax said reaching into his cut, pulling out an envelope and handing it to Alvarez.

"Just let me know when and where."

Opie, Tig and Happy finished putting the barrels inside the large pickup truck with a camper shell on the back. It provided a perfect place to conceal the barrels while they transported them to their gun warehouse emphasis on the house.

Happy felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Danger. He looked around. Nothing seemed out of place. He caught a brief glimpse of a man with platinum hair in a little car round a corner.

His danger signals were never wrong, but maybe it was thrown off by being around so many Mayans. He decided to stay even more vigilant than usual. He was so alert now his body almost seemed to vibrate.

Clay and Tig drove behind the pickup looking for tails from law enforcement or Alvarez. When Clay called Jax to tell them they were clear of tails, the pickup finally began the drive to the house.

Bobby had done a good job finding the place and making sure it had everything it needed for assembling the guns and for the gun assembly crew that Tig watched over.

"The house has been working great and Rodriguez says it's a lot easier to watch," Tig said after they had brought the barrels into the house.

"It's good not to have a chunk of money sunk in land," Jax said.

Clay scowled. He still wasn't happy about not building their own warehouse. He just didn't like that it was Jax's idea to use a house.

"It's more work coming to the warehouse, but it's worth it," Tig said smiling at Jax.

On the way back to TM, Jax stopped off briefly at a sporting goods store returning in less than five minutes. While he was inside Opie joked that maybe Jax needed a new game to play with Scarlett. Tig seemed oddly upset by the comment.

When they got back to TM, Jax had a surprise for everyone. He'd had Sack get sandwiches and drinks. He was trying to do extra things for the guys since they were covering for him when he was gone with Scarlett.

Later after work, he was going over to Scarlett's for dinner and to spend the night. She had a physio appointment in the morning so it would make it easier to get to the appointment, but it was really just an excuse to stay over.

He took a shower and changed into clean clothes before heading over to Scarlett's. The evening was going to be very interesting.

When she let him into her condo, he could tell by that certain sparkle in Scarlett's eyes that she thought something about him was funny.

"What?" he demanded.

"What what?"

"What's so funny?"

She looked at him trying hard not to smile but her lips turned up at the corners anyway.

"Love your man bun."

He'd taken a shower and put his hair back in a ponytail with the ends tucked in. He usually took it down when his hair was dry, but he'd forgotten.

"It's not a man bun," Jax explained patiently. "It's a ponytail with the ends tucked in." Jax reached up to pull his hair out of the hairstyle that Scarlett found so funny.

"Leave it. You just look so darned sexy."

He pointed to his lips.

"Give me kiss," he growled, "and I'll think about leaving it in."

Scarlett kissed Jax on the lips.

She had gotten the vegetable lasagna that he liked with the spinach and white sauce. He took it out of the oven for her. She was busy dumping a bag of Caesar salad in a bowl, tossing it with the dressing, adding the croutons and Parmesan cheese from the package. It was also his favorite salad.

"Is there dessert?"

"What?" she demanded. "You need more sweetness in your life besides me?"

Jax looked in the refrigerator hoping to find a coconut cream pie topped with whipped cream. She'd also gotten his favorite pie. That was just one of the many things about her—she remembered what he liked—that he loved.

"And one of my favorite pies."

Jax carried the salad bowls to the table with Scarlett following behind carrying iced teas.

"What did you do today?" Scarlett asked.

"Some club business in the morning. Fixed bikes. Changed the oil on a couple of cars. It was a nice low key day. What about you?"

"I met Tara for lunch. David Hale stopped by the store for a few minutes to ask me how I liked the condo," Scarlett said. "I left early because Ted came over to give me an acupuncture treatment."

Jax brought their empty salad bowls to the kitchen and cut them portions of the lasagna and brought them to the table. It was just easier for him to do it for her.

"I really liked the treatment. My pain level went down and I have more energy now. He's going to let me know when he's available and I'll schedule some more appointments. It won't fix me by itself, but I'm hoping that it can help with the muscle spasms and get my body to heal faster."

"I don't know how putting needles in your body can make you better," Jax said.

"I know. I'm skeptical, but I'm willing to give it a couple of more tries. I talked to my therapist about it and she says it might help with my pain. It can't make my body stronger. Tomorrow, I'm going to get to use the recumbent bike for five minutes."

"Progress," Jax said grinning at her.

"Anything else exciting happen?" he asked waiting until they had finished dinner.

"No."

They decided to watch TV in bed and have dessert later. Scarlett went into the bedroom. On the bed's comforter were two canisters of pepper spray.

"Oh, hell," Scarlett said softly.

"Forget to tell me something about your day?" Jax asked leaning in the bedroom's doorway, his bright blue eyes locked on her face.

"How much trouble am I in?"

"A lot," he said walking towards her.

"

 **Author's Note: I saw a clip with Charlie Hunnam promoting his new film** _ **The Gentlemen.**_ **He was wearing his hair in a man bun and he even mentioned it, so I had to bring back the man bun.**


	368. Chapter 368

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

"

 **Chapter 368** _ **Plots & Plans**_

"

Josh Kohn decided to get some sandwiches from the supermarket and eat them in his room for dinner while he plotted and planned his next moves. He didn't want to be seen on the street in case Teller's whore had told him what happened and Teller or his biker gang was out looking for him.

He turned the A/C in his room up full blast. He felt like he was burning up and that was before he got the email from work ordering him to return to work on Monday. That wasn't good. Maybe they had finished putting together their case to fire him. He was too effective an ATF agent. He made everyone else look bad. Sooner or later, they were going to come for him.

He could fight it and he might even win, but they would screw him over, send him to some hell hole field office—Alaska or Maine. Maybe he'd get tasked with setting up a new field office in Death Valley or New Mexico which was a hell hole of hot weather, desert, snakes and scorpions. At least they couldn't send him to the Middle East or could they?

John the dip shit supervisor of special assignments could come up with something that could get him sent to the Middle East call it special detail. There were worse things than Alaska, Maine or New Mexico and the Middle East was one of them.

Even if he survived this effort at termination, he was going to end up in work hell. He had to do something to change that. He had to bring down the Sons of Anarchy. How could those white trash idiots outsmart him? He couldn't let that happen.

If he got the Sons, he could also make that June Stahl look like the incompetent bitch that she was—hell he might even get her job.

Tomorrow, he would make a big show of leaving town. He'd go to Floyd's for one last hot shave, tell him he was leaving. That should help get the word spread around town. Wasn't that the whole idea behind small town barbershops? He'd leave for a day or two, come up with a plan to get the Sons and then sneak back into town and get them.

Josh Kohn was spiraling out of control. Could he save himself before it was too late?


	369. Chapter 369

5

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

"

 **Chapter 369** _ **The Jax Teller Prize Package**_

"

"You want to tell me about your day again?" Jax asked softly. "Or why you didn't tell me what happened with you and Kohn?"

Scarlett wondered how Jax had learned the truth. She didn't think Tara ratted her out. How the hell did he know what happened?

"Ummm . . . well . . ." Scarlett's voice trailed off.

"I'm not playing around," Jax said with steel in his voice. "I want to know what he said to you and exactly what happened. Most of all I want to know why the hell you didn't tell me."

Jax's eyes flashed with anger. The look in his blue eyes reminded her of Clay's eyes when he choked the life out of her mother. For a moment she was ten watching as Clay finished squeezing the life out of her mother. Those feelings of fear flooded her again. This was ridiculous. Jax wasn't Clay. He wasn't going to hurt her. She took a breath, focusing on calming herself and willing the cold terror she felt to leave.

It was easier when she thought she had the blood of a murderer in her veins. Knowing that it was actually Jax's bio dad who killed her mother made her wonder if that same cold blooded homicidal streak would one day come out and be directed at her.

She wasn't being rational. The way her fiancé would flip out at her for the smallest thing was also causing her fear reaction. None of this was Jax's doing. It was her problem. This was more of her past coming back to try to tear away at her happiness.

"Scarlett, I'm not going to hurt you," Jax's voice was gentle, "but I'm furious with you for not telling me about Kohn. Why didn't you tell me? Did Hale have something to do with it?"

Jax walked over to her closing off any possibility of escaping the bedroom and avoiding this conversation.

"David told me that Kohn was going to be ordered to return to Chicago and report to work on Monday," Scarlett said. "He suggested that it would be best if I didn't tell you because he was afraid of how you would react and he didn't want to have to lock you up. He didn't mean any harm. He was just trying to protect Kohn from getting hurt and you from the repercussions of your actions."

Jax's eyes were still bright with anger, but she knew that his anger was now directed at David Hale and not her.

"I don't need Hale watching my back well intentioned or not."

"Don't be mad at him. I made the decision not to tell you. I was just trying to protect you."

"What if Kohn comes at me and I'm not on guard because you didn't tell me that he attacked you?"

Scarlett looked at him with genuine anguish in her eyes.

"I didn't think of that. Jax, I'm sorry. I was so worried about you doing something that could get you locked up, that's all I could think about."

"You don't need to worry about me getting locked up for hurting Kohn. It isn't going to happen. You have to trust me. We need to trust each other."

"I do trust you. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"Tell me about Kohn."

"Tara and I met for lunch. I walked from my store since it's only a few blocks. We finished lunch. Kohn was sitting on a bench. I ignored him when I walked past him. He started following and I told him to quit. He said he wanted to make me scream. It was creepy. I told him to go fuck himself and scream his own name."

Jax looked at Scarlett and laughed.

"That was good."

"It got better," Scarlett said. "He called me a mouthy bitch. I told him his problem was he was three inches short of a . . ." Scarlett's voice trailed off.

"Short of a what?"

She looked down, her face bright red.

"A Jax sized dick."

"Scarlett," Jax said shaking his head and laughing. "How would you know? Were you peeking when I was asleep?"

She shook her head.

"He just looked like he was a small man."

They both laughed.

"After I said that, he kept getting closer to me. I told him to back off or I would pepper spray him. He didn't. He tried to grab me so I pepper sprayed him. Tara saw what was happening. She ran over and kneed him. He collapsed to the sidewalk. I wanted to kick him, but I can't move my leg to kick and I don't have any power in my leg even if I could move it. Tara kicked him for me. She said in the MC culture, the worst thing you can do to your enemy is spit on him, so we leaned over Kohn and spit on him."

Jax broke into laughter again.

"Scarlett, you are a badass," he said carefully putting his arms around her and holding her close to him.

He kissed her long and slow then, one of those bone melting kisses that made it difficult for her to stand afterwards. She could feel her love for him flow through her body. She never thought it was possible to feel so much love.

"You are still not out of the woods with me," Jax said looking into her eyes, his arms still around her.

"I told you what you wanted to know."

"Here's what's going to happen now. Until Kohn is back in Chicago, you will have someone with you 24/7. I will handle evenings and overnights," Jax said a little smile playing at his lips. "During the day, Sack will watch over you. He was in Iraq, he carries a gun and he's been in combat. He'll go to the store with you, come back here with you and stay with you until I come over."

"Jax, that's really not . . ."

"In additions to winning me and my heart, you've also won the Jax Teller prize package."

"Are you talking about sex?"

"No, I'm _thinking_ about sex, but I'm always thinking about it. I'm talking about my prize package. Part of that includes me taking care of and protecting you from physical danger. I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

"Nothing's going to happen to me."

"I know because I am going to watch over you. You don't have a choice in this. Now, here's the part when you say "thank you, Jax, you great big hot hunk of man."

"Thanks, Jax, you great big . . .what was the next part?"

"Hot hunk of man."

Scarlett giggled.

"I just wanted to hear you say it again."

"Scarlett, you do not want to get into trouble with me again," Jax said with mock sternness.

"I just don't want to be a burden."

Jax brushed his finger across her cheek.

"We love each other. You took care of me when I got shot. I'm taking care of you now. Are you going to cooperate with Sack watching over you?"

"How did you find out what happened?"

"Sack saw you. He was picking up some sandwiches for me for the guys. He had them in a big box. He saw Kohn talking to you. He remembered him from the night I got shot when he put a broomstick through his radiator. He was going to put the box down and help you when he saw you pepper spray him and Tara ran over to help. After Tara kneed and kicked him, you left with Tara before he got a chance to help. He said that after the two of you finished with him, there wasn't anything for him to do anyway. Now are you going to be a good girl and let Sack watch over you?"

"I'm going to need a prize from your prize package. I'll let Sack watch over me if you give me another one of those long, slow, deep kisses that make me feel like my bones are melting and I'm going to turn into a puddle."

"How about we do that in bed, in case you have that puddle problem?"

"Thank you for protecting me you great big hunk of hot man."

"I'll always protect you. Now let's see what I can do about that kiss you need."


	370. Chapter 370

2

 **Little Toy Bikers and a Woman on the Run**

"

 **Chapter 370** _ **Tig Task**_

"

Tig was worked up into a fury. Jax had had the nerve to ask her to keep an eye on Scarlett. His whore had made an enemy of some nut job that was stalking Tara. She had no idea how the blonde whore got involved and she didn't want to know either.

She shut her eyes and pictured a man holding a knife to blonde whore's throat. She would take out her gun and aim it, but the man cut blonde whore's throat and her shot to the middle of the man's forehead would come too late. Blonde whore would be dead, collapsed into a heap on the ground her bright blonde hair caked in blood.

Jax would come rushing in. He would see blonde whore on the ground. She offers Jax a shoulder to cry on. During the consoling, there's a soft gentle kiss. Jax looks at her, studying her face. He sees her for the first time as she really is—the person she is inside. He pulls her into his arms again and kisses her passionately. He falls in love with her instantly of course. They get married and live happily ever after.

This was a variation of her favorite fantasy. She never got tired thinking about it. One day, it would come true. If she believed it hard enough, she could will it into existence.

She blinked and her dream dissolved before her eyes. She was left feeling empty and sad. A candy bar should cheer her up and she could see Louise. She remembered that she wasn't starting her new position as night manager until next week.

Well, she would just have to wait until next week to finally kill Louise.


End file.
